Master Craps – Pointers and Techniques: The Background of Craps

Be cunning, play smart, and pickup craps the right way!

Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the English, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and throughout the nation. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he created the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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