Master Craps – Tips and Techniques: The History of Craps
Be brilliant, play smart, and pickup craps the right way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved down south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is gotten from the name of the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he invented the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.