Be cunning, play cunning, and discover how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Modern craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists 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 a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he designed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.