Be smart, play cunning, and learn how to play craps the ideal way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French moved down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. A few think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.