Master Craps – Tricks and Plans: The Past of Craps
Be smart, play cunning, and pickup craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps come about from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is gotten from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. A few acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.