Craps

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Be cunning, play cunning, and become versed in craps the right way!

Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Current craps formed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, however Hazard is said to have been made up by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. A good many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he designed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.