Be clever, play cunning, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed down south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is 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 scows and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
