Become Versed in Craps – Hints and Plans: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French headed south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was acquired from the term for the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he established the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.