Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the birth of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is presumed that Sir William’s paladins enjoyed Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French relocated south and settled in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it more mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the losing toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. Many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he created the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.