Be clever, play clever, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps developed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard through a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he invented the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.