Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s soldiers gambled on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. Many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.