Be clever, play smart, and master craps the correct way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the birth of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s horsemen wagered on Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is gotten from the term for the losing throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.