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Master Craps – Hints and Strategies: The History of Craps

Be brilliant, play brilliant, and become versed in craps the correct way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps developed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French moved down south and found safety in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. A good many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.