Be cunning, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way!
Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Current craps formed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been discovered by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s paladins wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.
Early French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French moved south and settled in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their best-loved game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the losing throw of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and throughout the nation. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the modern craps setup. He put in place the Don’t Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he established the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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