Be clever, play clever, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps developed from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved down south and discovered safety in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Most acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
