HAZARD (GAME)

'Hazard' is an Old English game played with two dice which was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales'' in the 14th century. The name "hazard" derives from the Arabic word ''az-zahr'' (زهر), the plural of "dice." Hazard is not interchangeable with "''Grand Hazard''," which is played with three dice; Grand Hazard similar to Sic bo.
Despite its complicated rules, hazard was so popular in the 17th and 18th centuries that it was often played for money; games of chance were thus called "hazard games." At Crockford's Club in London, hazard was especially popular. In the 19th century, the game craps developed from hazard through a simplification of the rules.

Contents

Rules

Betting

Craps and Hazard

Miscellaneous

References

Rules

Any number may play, but only one player — the 'caster' — has the dice at any one time.
In each round, the caster specifies a number between 5 and 9 inclusive: this is the 'main'. He then throws two dice.

★ If he rolls the main, he wins ('throws in' or 'nicks').

★ If he rolls a 2 or a 3, he loses ('throws out').

★ If he rolls an 11 or 12, the result depends on the main:

★
★ with a main of 5 or 9, he throws out with both an 11 and a 12;

★
★ with a main of 6 or 8, he throws out with an 11 but nicks with a 12;

★
★ with a main of 7, he nicks with an 11 but throws out with a 12.

★ If he neither nicks nor throws out, the number thrown is called the 'chance'. He throws the dice again:

★
★ if he rolls the chance, he wins;

★
★ if he rolls the main, he 'loses' (unlike on the first throw);

★
★ if he rolls neither, he keeps throwing until he rolls one or the other, winning with the chance and losing with the main.
This is simpler to follow in a table:

Main	Nicks	Outs	Chance
5	5	2, 3, 11, 12	Anything else
6	6, 12	2, 3, 11
7	7, 11	2, 3, 12
8	8, 12	2, 3, 11
9	9	2, 3, 11, 12

As long as he keeps winning, the caster may keep playing: but if he loses three times in succession, he must pass the dice to the player to his left, who becomes the new caster.

Betting

Bets are between the caster and the bank (the 'setter'), which may be the remaining players acting as a group.
If the caster nicks on the first throw, he wins an amount equal to his stake.
If he throws a chance, the setter gives him odds:

Main	Chance
	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
5	4/3	-	4/5	2/3	4/5	1/1	4/3
6	5/3	5/4	-	5/6	1/1	5/4	5/3
7	2/1	3/2	6/5	-	6/5	3/2	2/1
8	5/3	5/4	1/1	5/6	-	5/4	5/3
9	4/3	1/1	4/5	2/3	4/5	-	4/3

For example, with a stake of £10, a main of 7 and a chance of 5, a caster stands to win £15 (3/2 × £10); with the same stake, a main of 5 and a chance of 6, he could win £8 (4/5 × £10).

Craps and Hazard

At its heart, craps is a version of Hazard where the main is always 7:

★ if the 'shooter' (the caster) rolls a 7 or 11 on his first throw, he wins;

★ if he rolls a 2, 3, or 12, he loses;

★ if he rolls anything else, that is his 'point' (his chance); he now keeps throwing until he wins by 'making' (rolling) his point or loses by rolling a 7.
However, betting in craps is significantly more complicated: see its entry for details.

Miscellaneous

The phrase 'at sixes and sevens' originates from the game of Hazzard. 'Set upon six and seven' first appeard in Chaucer's Tales relating to betting one's entire fortune on a single throw of the dice. Over time the phrase became associated with any circumstances involving general confusion or disorder.

References

★ "HAZARD". ''LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia''. http://20.1911encyclopedia.org/H/HA/HAZARD.htm.

★ Steinmetz, Andrew (1870). ''The Gaming Table'', Volume II, Chaper X. (Online edition available at World Wide School.)