Craps

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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 ancient English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French relocated down south and discovered safety in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns adjusted the name to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and all over the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn designed the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.