It is said that craps is the oldest dice game on the planet and
has been played since the times of the crusades and is commonly
believed to have been derived from the game Hazard which was
invented by Sir William of Tyre and his knights during the crusades.
Hazard became exceptionally popular during the 17th century amongst
the English nobility who frequented the up market gambling houses.
Once the French discovered this easy to play and social game they
changed the name to crabs, crabs was the name given to the lowest
value of a throw of the dice in hazard. Eventually crabs came to the
United States and was played feverishly and spread to the other
parts of the country via the Mississippi river boats - each player
bringing a new element to the game.
A famous dice maker, John H. Winn revolutionized the game by
changing the layout of the board and introducing the “Don’t pass
bets" area on the board. And the rest as they say is history.
Forms of Craps
Today three major forms of craps exist: Casino craps
- craps played at proper tables throughout most land based casinos
in the world. Street craps – played without a table, street craps is
a more informal version of the game and is exceptionally popular
amongst soldiers and students looking to pass the time before
heading back to the books. Online craps – combines both street and
casino craps and present a more simple way of enjoying the game.
Craps is very popular amongst online gamers and works exactly the
same as table craps. The only thing missing from the online version
is the social nature and camaraderie that takes place round the
craps table. What is great, though, is that you can play on your own
– you don’t need hoards of people around to enjoy yourself. A great
way to familiarize yourself with online craps is to play the free
games available from the online casinos before playing with the
experienced gamers. There is also a wealth of information on the web
about craps, its strategies, history, terminology and tips on how to
play.
Rules of Play
craps is played by one or more players, craps is won by a simple
throw of the dice. Players take turns rolling two dice in a series
of rounds. The player rolling is known as the “shooter" and the
first throw of a new round is termed the “come-out roll".
If the total of the two dice is 7, 11, 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out
roll the round ends immediately and another come-out roll must
thrown. A total of 2, 3 or 12 is called craps while a result of 7 or
11 is called a win. If any other number if thrown on the come out
roll the number becomes known as the point. Once a point is rolled
the shooter will re-roll the die until the point number is rolled
again, at which point the round ends and the same shooter throws
another come out roll. If a 7 is thrown instead of a point the round
ends and the person to the left of the shooter in the previous round
becomes the new shooter.
