Become Versed in Craps – Hints and Plans: The History of Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the old Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the birth of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the castle 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 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the nation. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.