Pickup Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The Background of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and pickup craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps come about from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French headed down south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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