Pickup Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The Past of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way 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 certain the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated down south and discovered refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was gotten from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.