Master Craps – Hints and Schemes: The History of Craps
Be cunning, play smart, and become versed in craps the ideal way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. A few acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he established the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.