Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the old Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French moved south and found sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. A few acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
