Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Modern craps come about from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when banished by the English, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the non-winning throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he created the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.