Be cunning, play cunning, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps developed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.