Master Craps – Tips and Techniques: The History of Craps


Be cunning, play clever, and become versed in craps the right way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen played Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when banished by the English, the French headed south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. A great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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