Become Versed in Craps – Hints and Techniques: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard through a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved down south and located safety in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten 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 barges and across the nation. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.