Be cunning, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the British, the French moved down south and discovered sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and across the country. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he created the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.