Be smart, play brilliant, and pickup craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard amid a siege on the castle 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 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French headed down south and located refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. A few acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Afterwards, he created the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.