Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Techniques: The History of Craps
Be cunning, play smart, and pickup craps the ideal way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French relocated south and located safety in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.