Master Craps – Hints and Techniques: The Past of Craps

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard amid a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French relocated south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed 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 river boats and all over the country. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.