Pickup Craps – Hints and Techniques: The History of Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French relocated south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the losing toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.