Craps Information

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Current craps come about from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. A good many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the modern craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.