Be cunning, play clever, and pickup craps the proper way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s knights played Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the non-winning toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.