Craps

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Be brilliant, play smart, and become versed in craps the correct way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the losing toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and across the country. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he established the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.