Craps Information

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Current craps developed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the ancestry of the game, although Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French moved down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is gotten from the term for the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps setup. He appended the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he designed the spots for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.