Be clever, play clever, and become versed in craps the right way!
Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins bet on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French moved south and located refuge in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
Comments