Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps developed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. Nobody knows for certain the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the British, the French relocated down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi barges and throughout the nation. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the spaces for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.