Craps Strategy

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the old Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.