[ English ]

Dice and dice games go back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern day craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps flourished from the ancient British game called Hazard. No one is certain of the origin of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been designed by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to French North America (the area of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when expelled by the English, the French moved south and discovered refuge in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Nova Scotia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and developed it to be more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was attained from the term for the non-winning toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, called "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and across the nation. Many consider the die maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he created the areas for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big eight, and Hardways.