The History Of Craps

The History Of Craps




UK Casino Times > Casino Articles

06 September 2006

The History Of CrapsCraps

Craps is an exciting betting game which involves a unique relationship between the crapshooter, the bettors and the table master. How did it all start?

Craps is an exciting casino dice game which exists in three forms today - street craps, casino craps and online craps. Street craps is an informal take on the game usually played outdoors; casino craps is the Las Vegas version of the game played at Land Based Casinos and online craps is the latest addition to the craps family having taken the online casino world by storm a decade ago.

Craps is said to be an ancestor of an early English game called Hazard, which was invented by Sir William of Tyre, an English nobleman who lead his knights in the Crusades to a siege on a castle called Hazarth. The game was used to pass time while waiting out the siege and thus the name developed. Some believe that craps date back to the Roman Empire when soldiers used to shave down pigs knuckles into dice and throw them into their helmets as a form of entertainment.

Hazard slowly spread to Medieval Europe and was very popular with the English. It then spread to the luxurious English gambling houses in the late 1600s and early 1700s. The noblemen and royalty which frequented these gambling houses were very enthusiastic about the game and planning a large version of the game became a major social event. The French also caught wind of the excitement of hazard but they decided to change the name to craps named for the lowest value of the throw of the dice.

Hazard managed to wind its way to the United States with the Cajuns who were misplaced after The French lost control of Acadia to the English. Some also believe that craps came to America with the first English settlers on the Mayflower. The game spread in 19th century America on the riverboats of the Mississippi and new variations of craps developed, making it simper and faster.

In 1907, John H. Winn, the 'father' of modern craps introduced some revolutionary changes to the game. He decided that it should be possible for craps players to bet right or wrong. He changed the board's layout and also introduced an area on the board called "Don't Pass" bets. Winn introduced a number of other changes and these are all still used in the modern day version of craps.

After gambling was legalised in Nevada in the 1930s, craps along with several other casino games became tremendously popular as they were introduced to the betting masses that flocked to Las Vegas.

The online casino industry has subsequently opened up the exhilaration of craps to even more bettors than ever before. While the camaraderie and special relationship between the crapshooter, the bettors and the table master cannot be duplicated in a virtual casino, the rest of the exciting elements of the game should not be missed. Logon to your favourite online casino today and begin playing craps.

Play Craps Online

One of the best Online Casinos to play craps is Spin Palace Casino. As an added attraction, they offer a free money welcome bonus of up to $150, £150 or 150 euros - depending on which currency works best for you - to all new players.
Click Here To Visit Spin Palace Casino

Also see:
On A Roll - Play Craps With Confidence

Online Casinos
Reviews of the leading, approved online casinos. Includes details of the free money welcome bonuses offered to new players by the online casinos.

UK Online Casinos
Reviews of the leading, approved UK online casinos. Includes details of the free money welcome bonuses offered to new players by the online casinos.

CasinoTimes.co.uk is updated every day with the latest online casino and gambling news.
Click Here to bookmark us and check us out daily!


Document Actions

RoxyPalace

Tell a friend
email this