Become Versed in Craps – Pointers and Strategies: The History of Craps
Be clever, play cunning, and master craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard amid a blockade 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 Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the term for the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and all over the nation. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he established the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.