03.09
Understand how to Play Craps – Hints and Schemes: the Recorded History of Craps
Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern day craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps developed from the ancient English game named Hazard. No one is certain of the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been developed by the British man, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and discovered refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the dice game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name of the game to craps, which was developed from the name of the non-winning roll of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. Many see the die maker John H. Winn as the father of modern day craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps layout. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so folks could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the boxes for Place bets and added the Big six, Big eight, and Hardways.