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

Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about one hundred years old. Modern craps evolved from the old English game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the British, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.