Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Strategies: The Background of Craps


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Be smart, play clever, and master craps the ideal way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about a century old. Current craps developed from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French moved south and located safety in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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