Be clever, play cunning, and master craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and found safety in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
