Hazard Dice Game: Rules, History, and How to Play

Hazard is a 13th-century English dice game, basically the original craps. Two dice, a target number, and a crowd betting against the shooter. That's the formula that shaped casino dice games for centuries.

For over 500 years, hazard ruled English taverns and fancy gaming houses alike. Then it crossed the Atlantic, got simplified, and turned into the craps tables you see today. Here's everything: the rules, the slang, where it came from, and why you can still see hazard's fingerprints all over crypto dice games.

What is the hazard dice game?

Here's what made hazard different: one player (the "caster") picks a target number between 5 and 9, called the "main." You roll two dice. The caster throws, trying to either win instantly, lose instantly, or hit a second number (the "chance") they'll chase on later rolls. From there, the caster rolls to either win instantly, lose instantly, or establish a secondary number called a "chance" that they'll try to match on later rolls.

The twist? You're not playing against a house. The caster didn't play against a house. Other players (faders) bet on you failing. It's player versus player, not player versus casino. That's why it dominated taverns and gaming houses for centuries — real money changing hands between players, not disappearing into a house pot.

Here's the quick version:

• Game type: Two-dice gambling where the target number changes the win conditions
• Origin: Medieval England, mentioned in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
• Structure: Caster rolls against faders who wager on the caster losing
• ‍Legacy: Got simplified into craps, which basically took over casinos everywhere

How to play hazard

Hazard breaks into three stages. Once you see how they connect, the rules click.

1. Choose your main

First, pick your main number from 5 to 9. That number sets everything: which rolls win, which ones lose, and which ones keep you going. Different mains shift the odds, so your pick actually matters.

2. Roll for a nick, out, or chance

Your first throw lands one of three ways:

• Nick (instant win): You hit the main, or one of the specific combos that wins for your main
• Out (instant loss): You roll crabs (2 or 3), or 11/12 if your main makes those losers
• Chance: Anything else becomes your new target. You'll keep rolling until you hit it

Hit a chance? Keep rolling.

3. Keep rolling until resolved

Now you keep throwing. Hit the chance, you win. Hit the main, you lose. Round over, money moves, and either the same caster rolls again or someone new steps up.

Hazard game terminology

You'll hear these terms constantly: Learn them now and the rest makes sense fast.

Main

Your target number at the start. Pick from 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. It sets which rolls beat you, which ones win, and which ones keep going.

Chance

The backup number you get stuck with when your first roll doesn't end the round. Now you're chasing the chance. Hit it before you hit the main, or you're done.

Caster and faders

Caster = the shooter. That's you if you're throwing. Faders = everyone else betting you'll lose.

Nicks and outs

Nick = instant win on your opening throw. Out = instant loss. Crabs (rolling 2 or 3) turned into the word "craps" over time.

Betting rules in hazard

Hazard ran player-versus-player. No house takes a cut like modern casinos. You put up money. Faders match it by betting you'll fail.

• Caster's stake: The amount the shooter risks on the round
• Faders' role: Cover the caster's stake by betting against the caster's success
• Side bets: Other players can wager among themselves on specific outcomes

No house edge existed since no house was taking a cut. Who had the advantage shifted round to round based on which main you picked and how the odds broke.

Odds and probability in hazard

Choosing the right main shifts the odds. Out of 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, picking 7 gives you the best shot. Two dice land on 7 more often than any other number.

Other main changes that roll win or lose instantly. Pick 5 or 9 and you get fewer instant wins, but fewer instant losses too. Seven gives you the most balanced odds overall. Smart faders knew this and bet different amounts based on your main.

That's part of what hooked people. Picking your main wasn't just a ceremony. It shifted the whole round's odds.

Medieval dice and the origins of hazard

Early English gambling culture

Dice games ruled medieval taverns. Hazard was the complex option for players tired of just rolling high. By the 1300s, hazard was so big that Chaucer name-dropped it in The Canterbury Tales.

The Crusades theory

Legend says Sir William of Tyre and his knights invented it during the Crusades, maybe naming it after a castle called Hazarth. No one's proven that story, but it shows up everywhere people write about hazards' history.

Hazard in literature

Chaucer wasn't the only one. Hazard kept popping up in English writing and social commentary. A 1674 writer described the game as "bewitching," and by the Regency era, exclusive clubs like Crockford's in London built their reputations on high-stakes hazard tables. Fortunes changed hands in single sessions.

Who invented craps and how hazard evolved

Craps didn't appear out of nowhere. French settlers brought hazard to New Orleans in the early 1800s. Players simplified it as it spread. The main stopped being a choice. It locked at 7. Player-versus-player betting turned into house-banked action. All those complex win/loss conditions got simplified into pass and don't pass bets.

"Craps" probably came from "crabs," which is what hazard players called rolling 2 or 3. Centuries of English gaming house evolution have turned into the fast casino game played everywhere now.

Hazard vs craps

The two games share DNA, but they feel different when you play.

Craps gave up hazard's strategy for speed and simplicity. The trade-off worked: craps became one of the most popular table games in casino history, while hazard faded into historical curiosity.

FAQs about the hazard dice game

What equipment do you need to play the hazard dice game?

Two regular dice and something to track bets with. Back then, players used any flat surface plus coins or markers.

Why is the dice game called hazard?

Probably from the Arabic "al-zahr" (dice) or Old French "hasard." Either way, both words tie to risk and chance.

Can you play hazard online today?

Rarely. Some historical game simulators exist, but hazard isn't offered at modern casinos. Craps (hazard's descendant) is everywhere and gives you the same fast dice action.

What is the difference between hazard and modern craps?

Craps locked the main at 7, switched to house banking, and made the win/loss rules simpler. Hazard let you pick your main and kept betting between players, not against a house.