Be clever, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French headed south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.