Master Craps – Pointers and Strategies: The Past of Craps
Be brilliant, play clever, and master craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. Most consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he invented the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.