Craps Tricks

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during 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 Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the current craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager 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.