Dice and dice based games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Modern day craps evolved from the ancient English game named Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the British man, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It is presumed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during a blockade on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was developed from the castle’s name.
Initial French colonizers imported the game Hazard to Canada (the area of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French moved south and located sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the dice game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns amended the name to craps, which was attained from the term for the non-winning roll of 2 in the dice game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the union. Many consider the die maker John H. Winn as the father of modern day craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so folks could bet on the shooter to lose. Later, he developed the areas for Place bets and added the Big six, Big eight, and Hardways.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
