Be cunning, play smart, and discover how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps developed from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he established the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.