Craps

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Dice and dice games date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, although Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard through a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when expelled by the British, the French headed down south and located refuge in the south of Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the title to craps, which was gotten from the term for the bad luck throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game moved to the Mississippi scows and across the nation. A few acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn assembled the modern craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.