Roll With It: a Brief History of Craps

Craps is one of the most iconic games you will find in any casino. It is loud, brash and exciting. Few people will have forgotten the classic scene from Martin Scorcese's Casino, when Robert De Niro’s Sam Rothstein first sets eyes on Sharon Stone”s hustling Ginger McKenna.

Craps is a game of dice. It's popular mainly in the US. People have been playing dice for centuries.   It is one of the few casino games where the player gets physically hands on with the game.

Dice are the oldest gaming devices known to man. The oldest dice were found at an archaeological site in Iran dating from almost 3000 BC. Wikipedia lists nearly 40 different dice games listed. Craps probably originated from an English dice game called Hazard. Hazard is mentioned in the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer dating back to the 14th century.

Craps came to the United States at the start of the 19th century. It was popular with deckhands and farm workers. The game is a mispronunciation of 'crabs'.

During the second world war, soldiers used to play craps. It is now one of the most popular games in post-war Las Vegas.

Today, Craps is still a favourite both in Las Vegas and online. It's not as popular as Roulette because of its complicated rules and croupiers.