Be smart, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French moved down south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
