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Dice and dice games date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is approximately one hundred years old. Modern craps developed from the ancient Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s presumed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Canada. In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated down south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they a while later became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which is derived from the name of the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi barges and all over the nation. A good many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He added the Do not Pass line so players could wager on the dice to lose. Later, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.