Be smart, play cunning, and discover how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard through a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Most acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
