Craps Information

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the ancestry of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard amid a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the English, the French relocated south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he designed the spaces for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.