Become Versed in Craps – Hints and Strategies: The History of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and master craps the proper way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the old English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French moved down south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the losing toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and all over the nation. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he invented the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.