Be brilliant, play cunning, and learn how to play craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and all over the nation. Many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he established the spaces for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.