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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern day craps is just about 100 years old. Modern day craps evolved from the very old English game named Hazard. No one is certain of the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 1300’s. It is theorized that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard for the duration of a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was developed from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonists brought the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia). In the 1700s, when expelled by the British, the French headed south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they after a while became known as Cajuns. When they fled Nova Scotia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and developed it to be more statistically attractive. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was developed from the term for the losing roll of two in the dice game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and throughout the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of modern craps. In 1907, Winn developed the modern craps layout. He put in place the Do not Pass line so individuals could wager on the dice to not win. Later, he developed the areas for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big eight, and Hardways.