History of Creation Popular Casino Game - Craps

There are various interesting theories on how the game evolved over historical times. Historians believe that craps actually originated in the Middle East and is a derivative of the Arabic name for dice which is "al-zahr". Going back as far as the 12th century, English crusaders in Jerusalem picked up on a dice game called al-zahr by the local population and brought it back to Europe where it became known as "hazard".

There is a version that Hazard was a game invented by an English noble Sir William of Tyre and his knights during the Crusades. The name seems to originate from game developed by the knights to pass the time while waiting to lay siege on castled called Hazarth, in 1125 AD. The name of the game is thus a corruption of the name of the castle.

There is other evidence that a form of craps dates back to the Roman Empire when soldiers of the Roman Legions used to shave down pigs knuckles into the shapes of cubes (dice) and throw them into their inverted shields to entertain themselves while in camp and term – to roll the bones – originate from this version of the game.

Famous medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer frequently mentions the game being played by characters in his work, the “Canterbury Tales”. Chaucer’s work is often referenced by scholars who wish to know about the social and leisure life of people in that period, so it is a good indicator of the popularity of the game at the time.

In the late 1600's and early 1700's in England the English noblemen and royalty were enthusiastic players of game Hazard and staging a game of craps was a huge social event with much preplanning. Betting amongst the noblemen was a very common pastime.

The French caught on to the popularity of hazard and after a few decades of playing, changed the name from hazard to crabs. This name was given because the lowest value of a throw of the dice in hazard was called crabs. In the early 1700's the game crossed the Atlantic and its English/French origins were transferred to the French colony of Acadia.

In 1755 the French lost control of their colony Acadia to the English and they renamed the territory Nova Scotia. The French who had been living in the territory were forced out and after some wandering, landed up in Louisiana. Named the Cajuns, these people brought with them a language of their own and a rich culture; part of this culture was the dice game of crabs, which they referred to as crebs or creps.

The 19th century African-Americans of the South have the development and invention of ‘modern day’ craps attributed to them. The game spread around America via the riverboats on the Mississippi. A few new variations of the game appeared which were simpler and faster than the original game of hazard. One such variation – Table Off – became very popular with gambling casino establishments at the end of the 19th century.

In 1907 John H. Winn a famous dice maker revolutionized the game and his changes made it possible for craps players to bet right or wrong and He has been given the honorable title of the “Father of Modern-Day Craps”. Winn improved the layout and introduced an area on the board called Don’t Pass bets.

With the legalization of gambling casino in Nevada in the 1930's and the onslaught of bettors into the best casino capital of America, craps and other casino games became extremely popular. Casino craps, which was also known as Las Vegas craps, was an instant hit in the casino world because of the excitement of dice throwing, compared to other card-based games which were very prominent in real money casinos.

During the Second World War, many soldiers on both sides of the fronts played craps to pass the time between battles. With the soldiers, the game spread to the corners of the globe and there are now very few places on Earth that do not know what the game of craps is.

For the past century, crapshooters have been trying to find the best way to beat the house in craps. Hundreds of betting and progressive craps systems have been developed as well as the crooked dice system reinvented. The dream to control the way that the dice roll on the casino tables has been preoccupying the minds of crapshooters around the world.

American cinema became interested in the game of dice and We can observe in many films of Hollywood an exciting crowd around a craps table.

Craps in Online Casino

The development of technologies made it possible for the casino industry to go online. After the gambling of casino industry became part of the Internet offerings, the great future of the business online was actually predetermined, as the casino industry became more exciting, and the traditional games were integrated on online casino platforms.

For the first time, casino customers were granted with the opportunity to play the game of craps more easily, choosing whether to bet real money or play for free. Up to date, there is a great variety of web-based casinos that offer a great number of craps versions with fantastic looks and features.

One aspect of land based craps is the social hub that encircles a betting table and creates a vibe and camaraderie between the crapshooter and the bettors. This is the only aspect of craps that is hard for the online version to capture. The rest of the game is perfectly duplicated onto the online casino.

Due to the complex nature of craps betting, a new player who has not yet been exposed to craps will find the internet an amazing source of information and tips about the game. The benefit of the technology behind the internet means that within a few clicks a rookie player can be totally clued up on all the different betting options, playing rules, casino odds and strategy.

There is not much possibility of developing a strategy for online craps because any strategy that was previously developed was either to do with the way that the dice were rolled, or with the unethical practice of tampering with the dice. The best strategy for online craps is a solid betting method that is usually developed through trial and error. The vast selection of reading material which is provided by online casino portals is one of the great benefits of online gambling.

The layout and betting system changes that Winn introduced to the game are still kept to this day. Winn’s version of craps became known as modern day craps or casino craps and it is this much-loved version that is a major hit in the real money casino today.

Main Types of Craps

Three major forms of craps exists today:

• street craps,
• casino craps, 
• online craps.

Street craps is the informal version of the game usually played by groups of people in alleys or in rooms, and which is very popular with soldiers.

Casino craps is what is most popular table game in land casinos today and differs from street craps.

The online version of craps is the newest version and is an exciting combination of both forms that has been slightly simplified to enable the online player the opportunity to experience the thrill of this much-loved and historically-rich game.