Be smart, play clever, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps come about from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is acquired 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 riverboats and all over the nation. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
