Learn to Play Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The History of Craps
Be cunning, play cunning, and pickup craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French relocated down south and found safety in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten from the name of the losing toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.