Craps History

A definitive craps history is a hazy proposition as many experts disagree on the game's exact origins. Dice themselves date back over a thousand years, and the throwing concept behind dice is fully prehistoric. These early versions of dice were used not as part of a game but as a method of prediction and were often used by senior members of a group or tribe. (Maybe that explains the very primitive pleasure we get from holding the shooter position at a full table.) Dice of the cube form that we use today date back as far as ancient Egypt and were used in gaming form as early as the Roman Empire.

Of course none of these facts give any indication of how the game got its name, and it's just before that important development that we will start our own craps history. Most of those who study craps history agree that the medieval game of Hazard was craps' most likely predecessor. This game actually traces its origins to the Middle East, but the crusaders that brought it back to Europe were quick to anglicize it. It is at this point that opinions on how the game got its name again diverge. One theory suggests that the lowest combination in Hazard was called “crabs,” and that that term was eventually distorted by other cultures that adopted the game. Another name theory says that the early Creole fans of the game earned the nickname of “toads” for the way they crouched while playing the game in the streets. The French word for toads was “crapeaud” and this was eventually shortened by future generations to the “craps” title the game still carries today.

Craps history remains divided through its popularization in America. Some experts theorize that English colonists brought it over as Hazard. Others conjecture that the French colonists ejected from Nova Scotia in the late 1700s brought it with them when they resettled in New Orleans. Either way, gambling texts tell us that the game was a popular feature in both the casinos and the streets of Louisiana. Bernard de Mandeville is credited with making the official change from Hazard to craps. It wasn't long before soldiers and riverboat patrons learned the new and simplified version of the game and brought it north to the rest of the United States. While craps became a quick hit among gamblers of every class, it's betting format at this point made it very vulnerable to cheaters with biased dice. John Winn solved this problem (and a few others) when he changed the betting layout and introduced the concept of betting right or wrong in the early 1900s.

When gambling was legalized in Nevada in the 1930s the stage was set for craps to officially become one of the world's most popular and enduring casino games. The casino workers in Las Vegas added a few of their own special touches to the game, and before long modern craps made its way around the world a second time, securing a space in casinos on every coast. Craps would be a big draw for the next 50 years.

The introduction of electronic chance-based games like video poker and online slots in the 1990s diminished the craps crowds greatly, but after being featured in a few notable casino film scenes and after making its appearance in several notable online casino reviews, craps staged a considerable comeback. These days you can still find a craps table in virtually every self-respecting casino in the world.

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