Be smart, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered 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 scows and across the country. A few think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
