Master Craps – Tricks and Plans: The History of Craps
Be smart, play brilliant, and master craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and found safety in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.