Be brilliant, play cunning, and pickup craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about a century old. Current craps developed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French relocated down south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.