Learn to Play Craps – Tricks and Plans: The History of Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French relocated down south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges 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 layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.