Be smart, play cunning, and master craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is just about a century old. Current craps developed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French moved down south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.