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. Modern craps come about from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French moved down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.