Craps

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.