Be cunning, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French headed down south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is gotten from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
