Craps Information

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about a century old. Modern craps come about from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, however Hazard is said to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed down south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was derived from the term for the non-winning throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. Afterwords, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.