Craps

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps come about from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been discovered by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It’s supposed that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the castle’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when displaced by the English, the French relocated south and discovered sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed 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, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the country. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he created the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.