Be a Master of Craps – Tricks 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 just about a century old. Current craps formed from the old Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and across the country. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.