Be clever, play brilliant, and master craps the right way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps developed from the old English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. A few think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.