Be clever, play clever, and learn how to play craps the correct way!

Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps evolved from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he created the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.