Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Tactics: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and discovered sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is derived 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 river boats and all over the country. A great many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.