Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps come about from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they after a while became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.