The History of Craps

Dice have been used in games for over 2 millennium.  Evidence exists that a kind of craps was played as long ago as during the Roman Empire.  Roman troops used the bones of sheep and pigs, shaping them into cubes, and tossed the bones in some kind of game to kill time when in camp.  The bones used in the original formed dice are thought to be the origin of the phrase “roll the bones”.

The initial use of dice is believed to be as an aid in predicting future events thereby helping people to make decisions.  Over time the earliest symbols used for predicting the future have been replaced by the symbols we see on dice today, as dice were no longer made use of for fortune telling.

Each and every pastime that has been around this long has numerous theories as to its origins.  One of the various thoughts about its origins has the game beginning in an Arab game called Azzahr enjoyed by Arabs prior to the middle ages.  A good deal later the game surfaced in France there it was known as Hasard; around the year 1500 the game arrived in England and acquired the English spelling Hazard.  The game evolved over time and by the early 1700’s recognized rules governing play had been established.

The French delivered the game over the Atlantic whenever they established themselves in New France (Quebec and areas of Nova Scotia).  When the British defeated the French in the new world large numbers of French settlers left Nova Scotia and ended up in Louisiana where they set up a new settlement.  The French settlers brought the game of Hasard with them, however over time began to call the game Crebs or Creps, their spelling of the French word Crabes (the smallest available denomination possible in the game was known as Crabs by the English and Crabes by the French).  The Cajun word was distorted in American English to Craps before the year 1843.

The game of craps moved west along with the frontier, and these days is enjoyed all over the U.S. in addition to the rest of the planet.  There are two general varieties of craps played today “Street Craps” and “Bank Craps”.  In recent times an online type – “Online Craps” has become well-liked.  It is estimated that at least 30 million Americans play dice games every year.