07.02
Become Versed in Craps – Tricks and Techniques: The Past of Craps
Be clever, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps evolved from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights gambled on Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when displaced by the English, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is gotten from the term for the losing toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to not win. Later, he established the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.