A History of Craps

The game of Craps has a history that makes it difficult to decipher between fact and myth. This tends to be an issue with most gambling games, and the best way to truly attempt to understand the history of the game of Craps, is to start at the very beginning.

Ancient Dice Games

Dice have been around in some form or another for thousands of years. Over three thousand years ago, bone tossing, a predecessor of dice, was used in order to predict the future in cultures such as ancient China and Pagan religions of Europe. It is known that the Romans were devoted to playing dice, and were even prone to cheating the game. In ancient Egypt, dice similar to the modern version were used to gamble, and to play games. Over time many different legends and fables surrounded the dice.

A History of Modern Craps

The modern day game of Craps is believed to have come from either the English during the Third Crusades, who supposedly played an early version of the game which they called Hazard. They supposedly played this game while they put a castle called Hazarth (or Asart) under siege. Although this may be the true, a second theory is that the game was actually played by the Arabs, as the translation of the word al zar means 'the die'.

It is probable that the game was created originally by the Arabs and that it was adopted by the Crusaders while going through Turkey and while in Jerusalem. The game was then most likely taken back to England by the Crusaders. The English began to call the game by the name of 'Hazard' as a derivation of al zar.

Once the game was in England, it became very popular; so popular, in fact, that it was even granted much mention in Geoffrey Chaucer's well known book from the Middle Ages, "The Canterbury Tales"! Hazard was popular for centuries in England before moving over to the European mainland. It is said that when the French began to play Hazard, they changed the name of the game to 'Craps'. The term 'Craps' was supposedly derived from the British term 'crabs', which was the name for the lowest numerical outcome of the dice toss (two). There is no proof of this name change, however, and many believe that the game did not take on the name of 'Craps' until the early 1800's in the USA.

Craps in the New World

It is unclear exactly how the game of Craps arrived to the New World. One theory is that the game was brought over with the first Pilgrims on the 'Mayflower'. Although interesting, it is improbable, as those who came on the Mayflower were Puritans, and gambling does not generally fit into the Puritan framework.

Another theory is that Craps was brought over with the French settlers to the Canadian providence of Arcadia. When the British took over the territory, they banished the French settlers from the land (and named it by its present day name of Nova Scotia). The French settlers took the game with them south to New Orleans (some say it is here that the game actually took on the name 'Craps').

From Louisiana, Craps quickly spread throughout the United States, thanks to the casino river boats that went up and down the Mississippi River. Although the game spread throughout the U.S., and began to evolve, there was one single event which turned the old Craps game into the version that we know today. A dice maker named John Winn added the rule to the Craps game that one can either bet with, or against, the dealer. This effectively ended the problem of dealers using crooked dice.

Craps became a popular favorite with all levels of gamblers. The game was even played by soldiers during the Second World War to stave off boredom! Craps was continuously popular until the 1970's and 80's when games such as slot machines began to gain in popularity in the casinos. At this point the popularity of Craps began to dwindle. For the next twenty plus years, Craps did not receive the status that it deserved as a veteran game.

Internet Casino Craps

Now, however, with the advent of internet casinos, Craps has once again begun to become more popular. Now that Craps is available to all gamers with connection to the internet, it is no longer swept under the table as a 'has been'. More and more people are flocking to gamble on their chance to win some real money playing online Craps. Craps, the former favorite of the high rollers, and poor gamblers, has finally begun to regain its rightful place amongst the most popular casino games! Try Internet Craps for fun or for real money at First Web Casino.

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