Origins of the game

Craps, also known as "Chie" or "Crab" or "Crapaud" (French for 'toad') is what is commonly called a casino matrix game. A matrix game is a game whose key element is a matrix, as in all games of chance, which generates random numbers. This is called a random system. Craps is a dice game. Dice already existed during the Egyptian era. The origins of this game remain unclear and have given rise to several theories: for some, Craps would date back to the Roman era. It is a known fact that the Romans used animal bones and particularly pork bones to chisel small cubes on which they would carve numbers to play.

For others, Craps would be derived from "azzahr", the Arabic word for 'dice', yet others believe the word to come from the English word 'hazard' and the game to date back from the twelth century. According to research and historical findings, this game has been found in records under the name of 'Crab', then 'Craps', etc., maybe due to a phonological distortion.

The origins of Craps are very complex, and the game may date back to the Crusades. What we know is that a man named Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, a player, politician and rich Louisiane land owner imported the French version of the game of the Toad to New Orleans. Of course, like all casino games, the invention of this game has been claimed by many countries. Craps doesn't depart from this rule. Nevertheless, even though no one knows for sure where the game comes from, it is a well-established fact that it has been around for quite some time.

Let's come back to the dice and their history to better understand how Craps was born: more than 5000 years ago, dice were invented during Sumerian times. Their shape was that of a triangular pyramid and they were made of ivory or lapis lazuli. Four-faced dice were found in Egyptian tombs as well as in Ancient Greece and Imperial Rome, which used another type of dice carved out of pork and sheep bones. Craps became popular in the US as a game of chance during the 19th century. It was discovered by Black workers in the Mississipi. This is where the modern version of the game appears for the first time. This relatively fast game is favored by the French. Exilarating, electrifying, it leaves no one indifferent. At first sight, it seems to be a complicated game due to its numerous betting possibilities. But this is far from the truth. Only a few minutes are enough to understand the basic rules. With Craps, the history of dice-rolling has lived on throughout the centuries.