Pickup Craps – Pointers and Schemes: The Past of Craps
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Dice and dice games goes back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Modern craps come about from the 12th Century English game called Hazard. No one knows for certain the ancestry of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was derived from the citadel’s name.
Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when exiled by the English, the French headed down south and settled in southern Louisiana where they a while later became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns broke down the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was acquired from the term for the bad luck throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."
From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi river boats and all over the country. A good many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.