The origins of Craps
Craps is a casino dice game descendent from an Old English game called “Hazard”, which is said to be invented during the crusades by Sir William of Tyre. Other sources point that the name Hazard could be a version of the Arabic ‘al zar’ or ‘azzah’ meaning “the dice” and could indicate oriental origin of the game.
“Hazard” became extremely popular in England and was frequently played in luxurious gambling houses across the country thorough out the centuries. The game’s popularity spread amongst the high classes all over Europe. The French will claim they have given the game its present name, using and corrupting the name given to a losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as crabs. However, the game in its present form was developed in America, most likely by African Americans in the 19th Century. John H Winn, a dice maker, developed the game further so the players could bet with or against the shooter, and become known as the father of modern craps played in casinos all over the world.
The basics of the game
The rules of craps may look confusing to the novice player – a complex table layout and many betting options – but in reality it is an easy and fun game to play. To understand the basics of craps we need to introduce some terms.
- The Point
At the start of a brand new game, when you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the Come-out roll, this number becomes the Point. You continue rolling the dice until you roll the Point or roll a 7. When this happens, this signals the start of a new round. A disk referred to as the “puck” reminds you of where the Point is. The Point will either be “ON”, where it is white and placed on a number, or it is “OFF”, where it is black and placed on the Don’t Come. - Come-out roll
If the Point is not already established, the roll is referred to as a Come-out roll. - Come Point
You may place a bet on the Come line or Don’t Come line only after the Come-out roll, when the Point has been established. If the next roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the bet that was placed on the come line moves up to the value of that roll and this number becomes the Come Point for this bet.
Game session The game begins with all the players betting on the roll, most often on the “Pass line”, and then one of the players, also called the “shooter” rolls two dice. This first roll of the round is called the “come-out roll”. If the outcome of the roll is 7 or 11, then all players betting on “Pass line” win (those betting on “Don’t Pass Bar” lose) and the game ends. If the outcome of the roll is 2, 3 or 12 then “Pass line” bettors lose and “Don’t pass bar” bettors win. Again, this means the game has ended. If the outcome of the come-out roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the “Point” is set and the Shooter throws the dice again and again until the end of the session. Additional bets can be placed during the session.
