Be clever, play cunning, and learn how to play craps the ideal way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French relocated south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he established the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.