Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps flourished from the archaic English game known as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been developed by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard for the duration of a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was developed from the castle’s name.
Early French colonists imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and discovered sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Nova Scotia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and developed it to be more statistically attractive. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name of the game to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning roll of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. Many see the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps table design. He added the Do not Pass line so folks could wager on the shooter to lose. Later, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.
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