Be smart, play clever, and learn how to play craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
