Master Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The Past of Craps
Be clever, play brilliant, and master craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps formed from the old Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and across the country. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.