Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps come about from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French relocated south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and across the country. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.