Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about a century old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the ancestry of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s knights bet on Hazard amid a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and located safety in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. A great many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to not win. At another time, he created the boxes for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.