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

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French headed down south and located sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he designed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.