Craps

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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately a century old. Current craps developed from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the ancestry of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen bet on Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.

Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when banished by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they after a while became Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they brought their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the term for the non-winning throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.