Master Craps – Tips and Plans: The Background of Craps
Be clever, play brilliant, and pickup craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French relocated down south and found sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. Most acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.