Master Craps – Pointers and Plans: The Background of Craps

Be clever, play cunning, and become versed in craps the proper way!

Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard through a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he designed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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