Become Versed in Craps – Pointers and Schemes: The History of Craps
Be smart, play smart, and pickup craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and throughout the nation. A few acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he invented the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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