Be clever, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, however Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French moved down south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and across the country. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
