Craps

Craps is one of the most entertaining games you can play in any casino because of the sheer number of available bets. Even if you've never played the game, it's likely that you understand the basic rules thanks to movies and TV. It's a mainstay of brick and mortar casinos around the world. Slot's taken what makes Craps great and brought it home for you.

Playing Craps

Craps is a dice game in which players place bets against the house concerning outcome of a roll of the dice. It can seem intimidating at first to play, the core game mechanic is simple to understand. First, bet on the total you'll see when you roll. Secondly, roll the dice. Finally, collect your winnings.  Yes, it is just that easy.

History of Craps

It's believed that Craps came from a simplification of the Old English game Hazard, which was played in gaming houses and pubs. Hazard, by the way, doesn't refer to the risks a player takes while playing it - it's a derivation of the Arabic "Az-Zahr," a phrase that literally means "two dice." While there are no definitive records of the game being played in the Middle East, it’s easy to imagine someone putting two dice together and creating a game out of it.

Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, the leading light of a family of wealthy Louisiana landowners, brought the game we now play to New Orleans when the city was young. He modified the rules a bit to enable bigger payouts to winning players while increasing the risk a bit, making it more exciting.   A final refinement by John Winn to include the "don't pass" betting option was all it took for the game to become the casino mainstay it is today.

(In case you’re wondering: it's believed that the game’s name came from crapaud, the French word for "toad," from the way that players would crouch to play the game on street corners while playing. One can imagine seeing a group of them huddled together and suddenly a winner leaping out of the crowd.)

How enduring is Craps? During World War II, street-style games were played by Allied soldiers during quieter moments. It's common to see people in the inner city playing the game on the street using just a convenient sidewalk in the floor of their home. It’s one of the oldest casino games in the world and it’s not going anywhere for a long time, even if video poker and slot machines have stolen some of the limelight.

Play Craps

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