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Learn to Gamble on Craps – Tips and Schemes: the History of Craps
Dice and dice based games go back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern day craps flourished from the archaic English game called Hazard. No one is certain of the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been developed by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 1300’s. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard at the time of a blockade on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Initial French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada (the colony of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the dice game and made it more mathematically attractive. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name of the game to craps, which was developed from the name of the losing toss of two in the dice game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Many see the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the current craps layout. He included the Don’t Pass line so individuals could wager on the shooter to lose. Later, he developed the spaces for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big eight, and Hardways.