Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps come about from the ancient English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard amid a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when banished by the English, the French relocated south and located sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which is derived from the name of the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. Many acknowledge the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps setup. He put in place the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he developed the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.