Both hazard and its simpler derivative were unfamiliar to and rejected by Americans of his social class, leading de Marigny to introduce his novelty to the local underclass. Although in hazard the dice shooter may choose any number from five to nine to be his main number, de Marigny simplified the game such that the main number is always seven, which is the mathematically optimal choice (choice with the lowest disadvantage for the shooter). Hazard was brought from London to New Orleans in approximately 1805 by the returning Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, the young gambler and scion of a family of wealthy landowners in colonial Louisiana. The origins of hazard are obscure and may date to the Crusades. Ĭraps developed in the United States from a simplification of the western European game of hazard. In 1788, 'Krabs' (later spelled crabs) was an English variation on the dice game hazard (also spelled hasard).
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