Learn to Play Craps – Hints and Tactics: The History of Craps
Posted in Craps on 08/03/2025 11:25 pm by Donovan
Be cunning, play cunning, and master craps the correct way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and found sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.