Be clever, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard through a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.