Craps Tips

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Be cunning, play smart, and learn how to play craps the correct way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about 100 years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the origin of the game, however Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when driven away by the British, the French headed south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is gotten from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. Most acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.