Master Craps – Tips and Strategies: The Past of Craps
Be cunning, play clever, and master craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and located sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired from the term for the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.