Pickup Craps – Hints and Tactics: The History of Craps
Be cunning, play clever, and become versed in craps the correct way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. Most think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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