Become Versed in Craps – Pointers and Schemes: The Past of Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps come about from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the English, the French moved down south and discovered refuge in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. Most acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps setup. He created the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he established the spaces for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.