Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps developed from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved down south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. Many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.