Be brilliant, play smart, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French relocated down south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
