Craps Information

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps evolved from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard amid a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French headed south and discovered refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their best-loved game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. A good many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the spots for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.