Master Craps – Pointers and Schemes: The History of Craps
Be smart, play clever, and pickup craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and discovered safety in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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