Be cunning, play smart, and pickup craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.