Craps Information

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard amid a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French moved down south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. Most think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.