Be cunning, play cunning, and learn how to play craps the proper way!
Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps come about from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the losing throw 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 great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.