Craps Information

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard amid a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French relocated down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is acquired from the name of the non-winning throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the nation. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.