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Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Techniques: The Background of Craps

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

Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps come about from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French moved down south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is gotten from the name of the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

Posted in Craps.


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