Be smart, play clever, and master craps the right way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Modern craps come about from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French relocated down south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the nation. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.