Become Versed in Craps – Hints and Techniques: The History of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and pickup craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French headed south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he established the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.