Craps

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the ancient Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is supposed that Sir William’s paladins bet on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the citadel’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more 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 migrated to the Mississippi barges and across the nation. A few think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He added the Do not Pass line so players can bet on the dice to not win. Later, he established the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.