Craps Strategies

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Be cunning, play clever, and become versed in craps the proper way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.