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Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized 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 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
