Master Craps – Pointers and Plans: The Past of Craps
Be cunning, play clever, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.