Craps

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Dice and dice games go back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps flourished from the very old British game named Hazard. No one knows for sure the birth of the game, but Hazard is considered to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is rumored that Sir William’s knights wagered on Hazard for the duration of a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Initial French colonists imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and located refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and developed it to be more statistically attractive. It is stated that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was developed from the term for the losing roll of two in the dice game of Hazard, called "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the union. Many see the die maker John H. Winn as the father of modern day craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the current craps table design. He included the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he created the areas for Place bets and added the Big six, Big eight, and Hardways.