The History of Craps

Many modern casino games evolved from ancient gambling games and craps is not an exception. However, nobody can say for sure when this game was invented. In fact, it never had the name "craps", it used to be called Hazard a long time ago.

It is widely believed that the game originated approximately two thousand years ago in the Roman Empire when a game of dice was invented by the military Legion. Back then, animal bones were used to create  cube-like shaped six sided dice. Even most modern dice are white, because of the color of bone. Also, this explains the term "roll the bones" that you may have heard playing a dice game. There is no accurate information on what game the Romans played or if their dice had numbers on the sides, but it seems to be one of the first games involving dice.

The game of Hazard was invented in Old English Europe centuries later and was typically played by aristocrats and elites. Actually, this game was more complicated than the modern version of craps. Some researchers claim that this game was invented in 14th century, while others say about 18th and 19th centuries. Hazard and Craps have many similar rules. For example, players automatically win on 7 or 11 and lose on a throw of 2, 3, or 12. The craps pass line bet has the same rule.

In 1813 this made it to the North America and was introduced in the French Quarters areas of New Orleans and Louisiana. By the way, European roulette (which later morphed into American roulette) was introduced in the same French Quarters of New Orleans at the same time. The person who really changed the game Hazard (the roll of the lowest value in this game was called "crabs") into the game Craps as we know it today was Bernard de Mandeville. Later, the game of Craps spread throughout the rest of the United States. Some players exploited craps problem with the fixed dice and wagering system.

Later, John H. Winn solved the problem of cheating when he added a new type of bet to the game called "don't pass" line bet. This bet allowed players to wager for against the dice thrower instead of betting for dealer only.

In after years the game Craps became incredibly popular in the country. It was very popular during the World War II among soldiers who played craps for entertainment and gambling. Just as the Roman Legionnaires did a thousand years before.