What are the Origins of the Game Craps?
As with any major gambling game, the game known as Craps comes with its own history that is steeped in tales of origins from a faraway land. Some games go back several centuries, while others date back to a more recent time, which is practically a blink of an eye. So where does Craps fit into the timeline?
Our story has origins that possibly go as far back as 1573 B.C. in the country of Egypt. Yes, that’s a LONG time ago. There was a popular game known as “Theban Dice”, which is one of the first known games of chance. It is said that this where Craps initially came from. Not bad for a simple dice tossing game.
But as with any great story, our tale does not stop there. Its next big moment in history comes from the time of the Crusades, where the game was played as a simpler version of an Old English game by the name of Hazard, a fairly complex game in its own right.
The game we play today in the United States is American Craps. The setting of the game’s current evolution is the Mississippi River, more specifically, New Orleans during the steamboat period of the 1800s by Louisiana gambler Bernard Xavier Phillip de Marigny de Mandeville (how’s THAT for a name?) Bernard (for short) brought the game over in 1813, where it grew quickly into a very popular game among the New Orleans folk, rich and poor alike. The game found quite a following in the African American community of the time, and it was not uncommon to see a group of people playing the game in the streets. Sometimes, it’s simply called “playing dice”.
These days, it is not uncommon at all to see a busy craps table at any casino you visit, be it Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even those casinos in New Orleans. While not as popular as it used to be, it still commands enough of an ardent following. Craps is just as exciting to watch as it is to play due to its high energy, speed of play, and general fun.
So whether you are new to the casino scene or a Craps veteran, go make your way over to a table and see if Lady Luck will favor the fortunate. Who knows? With a few good rolls of the dice, you might have an exciting evening of winning.
