Be a Master of Craps – Pointers and Plans: The History of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the English, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the nation. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.