Craps Strategy

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Be cunning, play cunning, and become versed in craps the right way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps come about from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French moved down south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.