[ English ]

Be cunning, play cunning, and pickup craps the correct way!

Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French moved south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.