Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.