Learn to Play Craps – Tips and Plans: The Background of Craps

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when exiled by the British, the French headed south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is gotten from the name of the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.