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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he invented the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
