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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but current craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the old English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is said to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortress’s name.

Early French colonizers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when banished by the British, the French relocated down south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the bad luck toss of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and throughout the country. A great many consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn assembled the current craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers could bet on the dice to lose. At another time, he created the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.