Be clever, play clever, and master craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard through a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French headed south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. A great many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.