Pickup Craps – Tricks and Schemes: The Past of Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps come about from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. Most consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he created the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.