Craps Strategy

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

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

Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is gotten from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.