Craps Information

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps formed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s paladins gambled on Hazard through a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the British, the French moved down south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and throughout the country. Most acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.