Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
