Learn to Play Craps – Tips and Strategies: The History of Craps
Posted in Craps on 04/11/2025 07:25 pm by Philip
Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is just about one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard through a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. A great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.