Be cunning, play cunning, and become versed in craps the right way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps come about from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s knights gambled on Hazard amid a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French headed down south and discovered refuge in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is gotten from the name of the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. Most acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
