CRAPS

Craps is without doubt the most exciting game in the casino, once learnt. However, as there are a multitude of bets that can be made with varying odds, it's not for the impatient. 

The game is based on the combination of two dice, thrown or rolled by a player to the opposite end of the table. Most players start off with a bet on the 'Win Line' or 'Pass Line'. The 'shooters' initial roll is called the 'Come Out Roll'. Should the dice land on a 7 or 11, the win line gets paid at odds of even money. If the dice land on a 2, 3 or 12 the win line bet loses. Any other number (4,5,6,8,9,10) becomes the point. That's not yet a winning or losing roll. The players wager stays on the win line until either the point is repeated to win, or a 7 is rolled to lose. Of course the game is a whole lot easier to grasp whilst watching, but if you can get your head around the basic concept of the win line, everything else is pretty easy to follow.

A full table requires three dealers to run the game. A stickman, who retrieves and passes out the dice whilst calling out the winning number, and two base dealers, who's job it is to book and pay bets.

Speaking from a dealer’s point of view, it's the only game. All the other games can be dealt on automatic pilot once mastered, however Craps always offers a dealer some kind of challenge. That challenge could be mathematical, controlling a loud and unruly crowd or getting to know the capabilities and limits of the other dealers working the table.

HOW DID CRAPS GET ITS NAME?

There is a bit of controversy as to the origin of Craps. It seems to be closely tied to an ancient game called Hazard. Both games are tied to man's desire to challenge fate and roll the dice.

Though there is much debate regarding the origin of craps and its relation to Hazard, it is still interesting to know the interplay of the events that lead to the development of craps. Hazard, is said to have been invented by Sir William of Tyre during the days of the crusades.

It is claimed that the game was invented in 1125 AD when crusaders were besieging a castle named Hazarth. Hazard was said to have come from the name of the castle. The game became popular in England and was played for centuries in English gambling houses.

The French caught on to the game of Hazard and were said to have changed the name to Craps. The losing throw of Hazard is called crabs (i.e. rolling a two) and it is believed that the French took the name Craps from this losing throw.

The next chapter of the history of craps concerns how the game got to America. With regard to this, some claim that the French brought the game to America. The view goes on to prove this point due to the fact that, French settlers were displaced to the south by the British and eventually brought the game of craps with them. The British story goes to say that their settlers brought the game with them on the Mayflower.

When craps finally reached America, it became simplified into the one we know today. John H. Winn (a dice maker) added his might to the game. He developed Craps so that players could bet with the shooter or against him. This development negated the usefulness of playing with crooked dice, a common practice at the time.  John H Winn is known as the father of modern Craps and his development became the modern 20th century casino game of Bank Craps with layouts and tables.

Today Craps is the biggest gambling game in the history of the world in terms of money wagered. Played with just two dice in a casino or as a private game in an alley or backroom the game captured the public’s imagination and is portrayed in countless Hollywood films as the low and high rollers game of choice. All from its beginnings as Hazard hundreds of years ago and mans desire to throw dice and win or lose by tempting Fate.