Be clever, play clever, and discover how to play craps the right way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings 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 supposed that Sir William’s soldiers bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the bad luck toss of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he developed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.