Dice and dice based games date back to the Crusades, but modern day craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps evolved from the ancient British game known as Hazard. No one is certain of the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been designed by the British man, Sir William of Tyre, in the 1300’s. It is rumored that Sir William’s knights gambled on Hazard at the time of a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Initial French settlers brought the dice game Hazard to Canada (the area of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved south and discovered sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the dice game and made it more statistically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name of the game to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning toss of 2 in the dice game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and around the nation. Many see the die maker John H. Winn as the father of modern day craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the modern craps table design. He included the Don’t Pass line so individuals could wager on the shooter to not win. Later, he developed the areas for Place bets and added the Big six, Big 8, and Hardways.
