Be smart, play clever, and discover how to play craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French relocated south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.