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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient British game known as Hazard. No one is certain of the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is rumored that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard for the duration of a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Initial French colonists imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French headed south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Nova Scotia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the dice game and made it more mathematically honest. It is believed that the Cajuns amended the name of the game to craps, which was attained from the term for the losing throw of two in the dice game of Hazard, called "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Many think the die maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He included the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big six, Big 8, and Hardways.
