Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Plans: The Background of Craps
Be clever, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps come about from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.