Be a Master of Craps – Hints and Plans: The Past of Craps
Be cunning, play cunning, and master craps the right way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps come about from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s paladins bet on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is acquired from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.