Be brilliant, play smart, and master craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French moved south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
