Play Hazard Online Free | Medieval Dice Game (Craps Ancestor)

Hazard on Arcadia

Hazard is the grandfather of craps and one of the oldest dice games with written rules: Chaucer's Pardoner condemns it in the Canterbury Tales (14th century), Regency London's club fortunes were won and lost at its tables, and when New Orleans simplified it in the 1800s, modern craps was born.

Arcadia's version puts you in the caster's seat against the Groom-Porter (the royal official who once licensed England's gaming tables). The chips are free and refillable; the mains, nicks, outs, and chances are the real medieval rules.

How to Play

Choose your stake and name a main: any number from 5 to 9.
Cast two dice. Throwing the main is a *nick*: instant win at even money.
Throwing 2 or 3 is *out*: instant loss. 11 and 12 are also out, unless they nick your main (11 nicks a main of 7; 12 nicks a main of 6 or 8).
Any other throw becomes your chance. Keep casting: the chance wins, the main now loses.
Play rounds as long as your bank lasts; take a fresh bank of 100 chips any time.

Core Rules (Mains, Nicks & Outs)

Mains run from 5 to 9 only.
Nicks: the main itself; plus 11 when the main is 7; plus 12 when the main is 6 or 8.
Outs on the come-out: 2 and 3 always; 11 unless the main is 7; 12 unless the main is 6 or 8.
Once a chance is set, only two numbers matter: the chance (you win) and the main (you lose).
The table pays even money on every round.

Strategy: Choosing Your Main

Hazard is a game of chance, but the mains are NOT equal:

7 is the strongest main: it nicks on both 7 and 11, eight of the 36 dice combinations, the most instant wins of any main. That edge is exactly why craps later fixed the main at 7 forever.
6 and 8 have fewer natural rolls but pick up 12 as an extra nick, softening the difference.
5 and 9 are the purist's mains: the fewest nicks up front and the most chance-phase drama.
Stake sizing is the real skill in a free-chip session: small stakes survive cold dice, big stakes chase the comeback. The Pardoner would tell you to quit while ahead; he was right.

Practical Tips

The main/chance panel above the table always shows what wins and what loses on the next cast.
Your last eight rounds are pinned under the dice: watch for cold streaks before raising stakes.
The bank persists between visits; the refill button starts a fresh 100 whenever you need it.
Want the full math? The rules modal maps every nick and out per main.

Hazard rules, history & strategy guide

FAQ

Is Hazard the same as craps?

Craps is simplified Hazard: New Orleans players in the 1800s fixed the main at 7, and the come-out roll, point, and craps numbers (2, 3, 12) all descend directly from Hazard's nicks, outs, and chances.

What is a main and what is a chance?

The main is the number you name before casting (5-9): throwing it wins instantly. If your first cast sets a chance instead, the roles flip: the chance now wins and the main loses.

Which main is best?

Seven. It nicks on both 7 and 11 (eight of the 36 dice combinations), which is exactly why craps eventually fixed the main at 7 permanently.

How old is Hazard?

At least 700 years. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (late 1300s) rails against it by name, medieval French and English sources describe it, and it ruled London's gaming clubs into the 1800s.