Craps Information

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the ancestry of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortress’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and located refuge in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. A great many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he established the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.