Master Craps – Pointers and Tactics: The History of Craps

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps come about from the ancient English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.