Craps Information

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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Modern craps formed from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth 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 knights enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was gotten from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and discovered sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was derived from the term for the non-winning throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi river boats and all over the nation. A few consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn developed the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.