Pickup Craps – Tricks and Plans: The History of Craps
Be smart, play cunning, and become versed in craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was gotten from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. Many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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