Learn to Play Craps – Tricks and Schemes: The Past of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and discover how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated down south and found sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he established the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.