Craps Tips

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Be smart, play smart, and pickup craps the correct way!

Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth 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 is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when banished by the English, the French headed south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Be clever, play clever, and master craps the proper way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps developed from the ancient English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when banished by the British, the French moved south and located refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was acquired 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 all over the nation. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.