About Craps

A handsome, well dressed man hurls two dice down a long green canvas, while spectators cheer. Stunning girls fawn all over him as the dice tumble down the table.
It’s the classic Craps scene so often depicted in gambling movies. What makes this game so popular and where did it come from?
The origin of modern day Craps is from a game known as Hazard, but where Hazard itself came from is often debated.
The game is so old it is believed that the knights of the crusades used to play it to relieve boredom while waiting around at sieges. Some people suspect that a castle under siege was called Hazarth and Hazard gained its name from this. However, other people argue that the game actually comes from the Arab word azzar, which means ‘the dice’. This would give the origin of craps a distinctly Arabic heritage.
Whatever its origin, Craps soon found its way to England, known then as Hazard, and once there became an extremely popular pastime. Hazard is actually mentioned several times in Canterbury Tales. Throughout the centuries, the English were betting small fortunes on this dice game. It then changed its name to Crabs when it founds its way to the French shores, where crabs was a word associated with a losing throw of two. However, only when Hazard or Crabs hit American soil, did it become known as Craps.
No one knows whether the French or the British brought the game to America, but either way it has certainly been rooted there since.
When it changed to Craps in America, it also simplified its rules and became more suited to the casino. It spread like wild fire in the South. There, the African Americans adopted the game as their own. A dice maker known as John H. Winn added a new dimension to the game, allowing players to bet with or against the shooter. This new ruling removed the use of crooked dice and made the game more popular, as even suspicious people were now open to playing it. Other developments by Winn made him known as the founder of the modern Crap game, and his rules are on the tables played upon today.

It is without doubt the biggest gambling game in the history of the world, especially in terms of money wagered over the centuries.
It can be played in a plush casino or with two dice in the back of ally. It really doesn’t matter. The fact that it can be started at any given point by anybody, meant it just grew and grew in popularity.
People seem to be drawn to Craps because they enjoy the thrill of having their fate in their own hands. A small wiggle and a shake and thousands can be lost or won. You can be the hero or the villain: your fate lies in the dice.
Indeed, Craps is so exciting because you really get to feel the thrill of gambling when rolling those dice. All eyes are watching you then watching the roll.
It’s what attracts so many players to Craps.