History of Craps

Dice have been fascinating people and deciding fates for over 2,000 years. Even the language of dice echoes history. When Caesar made his critical decision to take his victorious army across the Rubicon against the edict of Rome, he took his retort from the lexicon of the dice player: "lacta alea est." The die is cast.

The most fashionable men of 18th and 19th century England rolled dice in a game called Hazard in luxurious private gambling houses. The French learned the game from the English and called it "Craps," a corruption of "Crabs," the name for a pair of ones. When settlers arrived in the new world, they brought their dice with them.

Soon thereafter an man of American origin named Bernard de Mandeville, adapted the game from the original game hazard, in New Orleans 1813 . In hazard the banker, or setter, sets a stake. The player, or caster, calls a main (a number from 5 to 9, inclusive) and then throws two dice. If he throws in, or nicks, he wins the stake. Five is nicked by 5; 6 by 6 or 12; 7 by 7 or 11; 8 by 8 or 12; 9 by 9. The caster throws out, losing the stake, when throwing aces or deuce-ace (crabs, or craps ) or when throwing 11 or 12 to a main of 5 or 9, 11 to 6 or 8, and 12 to 7. Any other throw is his chance; he keeps throwing until the chance comes up, when he wins, or until the main comes up, when he loses. When a chance is thrown, the setter pays more than the original stake, according to specified odds. In French hazard the player throws against the house. In English, or chicken, hazard the player throws against an opponent.
Mandeville simplified hazard into the present game of private craps. Private craps then moved up the Mississippi river on steamboats and spread to casinos and gambling hall throughout the country. This original version of craps allowed only field and come bets, which made the game very vulnerable against fixed dice, which were often used. It wasn't until John H. Winn, a dice-maker by trade, created an innovated version of craps, where players could bet for, or against the roller. This eliminated the usefulness of fixed dice and created the very popular versions of craps that are played today. By 1910, craps had become the most popular casino game in the world.

Today craps is played in homes and clubs across the country. As many as 30 million Americans play dice every year. And the stakes can be gigantic. Some years ago, a Detroit businessman broke a casino bank when he won $300,000 in less than two hours of play.