Dice and dice based games go back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps flourished from the very old English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard for the duration of a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the area of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and located safety in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more statistically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name of the game to craps, which was attained from the term for the losing roll of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the territory. Many think the die maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern day craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps table design. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he created the areas for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
