Craps
While in today’s gambling world, craps has taken a backseat to numerous games; it once was perhaps the most popular game in the world. The origin of craps can first be traced back to a game called Hazard, believed to be named after the castle Hazareth, seized by Sir William Tyre in the year 1125 AD.
Throughout the centuries, Hazard became more and more popular in England and by the late 1600’s there were few places, taverns especially, where the game was not known, even being mentioned in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Soon after, the French caught onto the game, adopting it from their neighbors. However, they wanted to distinguish themselves from the English, changing the name of the game to craps (a variation of “crabs”, a losing situation in Hazard where the player rolls a 2). Some would say the name change happened when the game reached America, but no one can know for sure.
Both English and French settlers claim to have brought the game to the New World, but regardless of who did so, the origin of craps in America can certainly be traced to the year 1813 and a gentleman who loved gaming. He was Bernard de Mandeville from New Orleans. His adaptation of Hazard, a much more simplified version, became very popular on the steamboats of the Mississippi River and quickly traveled throughout the young nation. However, due to the betting rules, the game was very easily manipulated by fixed dice. Seeing this as a problem, John H. Winn solved it. By adding the “Pass” and “Don’t Pass” bets, players could now bet against the shooter. It was additions such as these that earned Winn the title of “the father of modern craps”.
The 20th century turned craps into a worldwide phenomenon. The addition of more casinos throughout the world, easier communication, and a prominent place in many major motion pictures, the game became one of the most popular in the world. Even World War II has its place in craps history, while soldiers on both sides would use the game to pass the time between battles. But as the 1990’s hit, the rise of slot machines caused craps to heavily decrease in popularity, with casino patrons wanting to gamble quickly and not think too much. However, as the 21st century has come and the world of online casinos is upon us, craps has once again found its place in the gambling community, rising in popularity over the past few years. Although online casinos once focused chiefly on things such as card games and video versions of slot machines, that’s all changing in this century. Now, just about any game that you can find in Las Vegas, you can also find online. And that includes different versions of Craps—a game that seems almost designed for the Internet age, with its fast pace and focus on visuals.
Will the expansion of Craps’ popularity stick? Step up to the table, roll the dice and find out.
