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

Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired 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 across the nation. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the modern craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he established the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.