Be cunning, play clever, and learn how to play craps the ideal way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the old Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is gotten 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 scows and throughout the country. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.