Pickup Craps – Pointers and Plans: The History of Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard through a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and across the country. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.