Craps - Arrival in America to the Present Day

March 26, 2009 | Article Category: Craps

0 Comments How Craps Got to America
Just as the origins of Craps are somewhat unclear, it is also unclear exactly how Craps found its way to America. In this case, however, there only seem to be two choices. Either Craps came to America with the British or with the French. It is of course possible that both these nations brought the game to America around the same time.

It is likely that the British settlers played with dice. It is even possible to imagine them playing with dice while they were aboard the Mayflower.

It may be uncertain exactly who brought Craps to America, however, it is certain that the Craps that is played today, a simplified version of earlier Craps games, evolved in America.

How Craps Spread Within America
The British displaced the French settlers. This caused the French settlers to move south, to Louisiana. There are those that say that the French took the game of Hazard with them to the south of the country.

Although the game was not exactly how we play it today, the development and invention of the modern-day Craps game is attributed to the African Americans that lived in the south in the early 19th century. In fact, the term 'African Dominoes' is the slang expression in America for dice play in general and also Crapshooting in particular. While it is not a documented fact that the African Americans of that time were the first who played Craps more like the game we know today, it is certainly a widely held belief.

Some claim that the name Craps comes from a nickname for French people - Johnny Crapeaud. 'Crap' in this case if the French word for 'toad,' which refers to the French peoples' eating of frogs legs. 'Craps' may well have simply been named after 'crabs' from the game Hazard.

Craps went up the Mississippi on riverboats and found its way to the rest of America from there. On its travels through the country, John H Winn, a dice maker, developed the game further. Winn's development of the game was that players could now bet either with or against the shooter. This development helped to reduce cheating by those who used to use crooked dice, which was fairly common at that time. John H Winn, as the father of modern Craps, is undisputedly known to have developed the version of the casino game, Bank Craps, which is played on tables with special layouts in modern casinos.

Craps Today
In terms of the amount of money wagered, Craps has become one of the biggest gambling games worldwide. Seeing the game portrayed in many Hollywood films has helped to increase its popularity.

In the 1990s, the popularity of Craps in land-based casinos went down because slots and other casino games became the new hype. Many players also felt somewhat intimidated with all the activity which surrounds Craps tables. When online casinos began, and also offered Craps as one of their games, it began to regain its popularity. All the best online casinos offer Craps games to their players.

Add a Comment

Name: * Email: (won't be published) * Website URL: Verify the image below: *

Tool Links

Mail Print     Digg Del.ici.ous