Learn to Play Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The History of Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps come about from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A great many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he invented the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.