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The game Craps is a successor of the ancient game Hazard. The beginning of both games is a subject of debate. The game Hazard was said to have been made-up by an Englishman called Sir William of Tyre along with his knights, in the time of the crusades. It was stated to have been a hobby for these crusaders while they were waiting to siege a castle by the name of Hazarth or Asart in the year 1125 AD. This name Hazard is thus believed to be an altered form of this castle's name. Although, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that the name originated from two Arabic words which were 'al zar' and 'azzah'. These are actually translated to mean "the dice". Using this information, it would seem that the game was actually originated in Arabia.
This game of Hazard soon became a largely popular game in England. Geoffrey Chaucer mentions the game frequently in the Canterbury Tales and it has been played by Englishman throughout the centuries. In the 17th century, deluxe gambling houses in England staged the Hazard games and a lot of money was lost by the higher class person and the noblemen.
The French also started to play the game Hazard and it is said that it was them who actually changed the name of it to Craps. They arrived at this name by using and rearranging the name of Crabs which was given to the losing throw of two in the Hazard game. Although there is actually no documented evidence supporting this and this name is more likely to be originated from America.
Some people say that the French introduced this game to America whilst other people say that it was probably introduced by the British. The very earliest settlers of Britain, maybe on the Mayflower, would more than likely have played with dice.
Whichever country showed the game of Craps to America is immaterial because it was there when the game was actually simplified in becoming the game called Craps which is known today. The settlers of France where displaced by the British settlers and eventually moved south to become Cajuns. Some say that they took the Hazard game with them. In the early 19th century, it was in the south where the development and the invention of the Craps game were attributed to the African Americans. Some people say that the name Craps originates from the expression given to France - Johnny Crapaud (where Crap means French for toad. A nickname that refers to the French liking for eating amphibians). However the name Craps is more than likely an arrangement of the title for a losing throw of two in the Hazard game - crabs. It could have been the French people who invented the name or it could have been the African Americans from the south who actually first played it. No one is actually sure.
The Craps game extended to riverboats on the Mississippi river and then onto the remainder of the country until a man named John H Winn enhanced the game more so that the players were able to bet alongside the shooter or in opposition to him. This change annulled the convenience of playing the game with crooked dice, which was a common tradition at the time. He introduced the option for the players to place a bet 'right' or 'wrong' with the design of the craps table. It also included a space for the 'Don't Pass' bets. Mr. John H Winn was acknowledged as the father of the modern Craps games and his enhancement of the game became the contemporary 20th century casino game called Bank Craps.
Nowadays Craps is the largest gambling game in world history in terms of a money wager. It is played with only two dice in casinos as well as being played as a private game in alleys. This game captured the gamblers imaginations and it is portrayed in numerous Hollywood films as a low roller and high rollers game of preference. All from the games start of Hazard, those hundreds of years previous and the gamblers wish to throw dice and to win or lose by alluring the gods and Fate.
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