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A History of Excitement: Craps!
There’s a commotion on the casino floor. People are cheering, shouting, and whooping, and the excitement all seems to be focused on one table. What’s all the fuss about? It’s most likely about a game of Craps, one of the most energetic table games played in casinos today. This fantastic game is filled with adrenaline and camaraderie, as players group together to root for the one who’s rolling the dice, in the hopes of winning their bets back.
With a name like Craps, many people wonder where this exciting dice game came from. Who created the game? And why did this person choose such a unique name?
As a matter of fact, like most casino games, Craps has evolved significantly from its humble beginnings. Many historians trace the game of Craps back to ancient Egypt, where the world’s first dice were discovered.
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Craps in Ancient Times
Moving on a few hundred years into history, historians and archeologists have also discovered primitive dice games in the ancient Roman Empire. Back in Rome, people created dice from pig knuckles, which they carved into cubes. It is widely believed that soldiers of this time used their makeshift dice to play games and pass the time when they were on the move.
The game of Craps as we know it today can be directly traced back to the Arabs in the time of the Crusades. The Arabic name for the game was “azzahr.” Azzahr made its way to France where it became “hasard. In a short period of time, the game of Hazard was well-known throughout France and England.
Craps Comes to America
Along with explorers and pioneers, the game of Hazard traversed the ocean, and settled down in the city of New Orleans. Here, Hazard became wildly popular. It was the Cajuns of New Orleans that gave the game its unique name - they called it “creps”. This name was derived from the worst roll of the game, which until that point had been commonly referred to as “crabs”.
In Louisiana, it was the wealthy politicians and landowners who really gave the game its fame. One of these men, Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, became the father of American Craps when he further refined the the game rules and helped Craps become a widespread gambling pastime throughout the United States.
Casino Craps
The game of Craps we play in casinos today is almost identical to the game played in the early days of Louisiana’s history. Most of the differences were introduced in the late 1800’s, by dice maker John Winn. Winn was the one who gave Craps its current form.
Now you know the history of the popular casino game called Craps. This unique game with a rich history has developed over time into the fun-filled game you can play in any casino today.
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