Be clever, play cunning, and become versed in craps the right way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A few think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
