Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the nation. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.