Be a Master of Craps – Tricks and Tactics: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Modern craps come about from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he designed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.