Be smart, play smart, and discover how to play craps the proper way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and located refuge in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the losing toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
