Dice and dice based games go back to the Crusades, but current craps is only about 100 years old. Modern day craps evolved from the ancient English game titled Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been developed by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s alleged that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a blockade on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was developed from the fortress’s name.
Initial French settlers imported the game Hazard to Canada (the area of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when driven away by the English, the French moved south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they were driven out of Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the dice game and made it more mathematically honest. It is believed that the Cajuns amended the name to craps, which was attained from the term for the losing roll of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and throughout the nation. Many see the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn created the current craps layout. He included the Do not Pass line so individuals could bet on the shooter to not win. Later, he created the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big eight, and Hardways.
This entry was posted on February 17, 2010, 12:21 pm and is filed under Craps. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.