Craps Tricks

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and throughout the nation. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.