Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is just about 100 years old. Current craps developed from the archaic English game named Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been created by the British man, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is rumored that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard for the duration of a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was developed from the fortification’s name.
Early French settlers imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 1700s, when exiled by the English, the French moved south and discovered sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Nova Scotia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the dice game and developed it to be more statistically fair. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was attained from the term for the non-winning throw of two in the game of Hazard, called "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the modern craps table design. He included the Don’t Pass line so folks could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he created the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big eight, and Hardways.
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