Become Versed in Craps – Tips and Plans: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and discover how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.