Be brilliant, play cunning, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps formed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard through a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. A good many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he established the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.