Be brilliant, play smart, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
