Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.