Be cunning, play clever, and master craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps come about from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard amid a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved south and located refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and across the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.