Craps Strategy

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was 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 riverboats and all over the country. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he designed the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.