Be cunning, play clever, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and located refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.