Be cunning, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps formed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.