Pickup Craps – Pointers and Schemes: The History of Craps


Be smart, play smart, and become versed in craps the correct way!

Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was gotten from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French headed south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was gotten from the term for the losing throw of snake-eyes 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 current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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