Be clever, play smart, and become versed in craps the proper way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about a century old. Modern craps formed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is supposed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French relocated down south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the nation. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he established the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.