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Craps: A History Retold
The use of dice for gaming and entertainment goes back a long way in history. Notable people of the ancient world have never passed up a chance to enjoy various games using the dice. Remnants of the dice used in Ancient Egypt were dug up in excavation sites. Historians have also noted that Roman Emperors not only played but also tried to cheat in the game.
Dice gaming was revolutionized by the invention of the early versions of craps. "Hazard" was said to be the earliest type of craps to be played. It all started when a band of crusaders started besieging a castle named "Hazarth. During periods when they are not attacking, they play a dice game to entertain themselves. They eventually name the dice game they are playing "Hazard" and brought it back to England.
Hazard became a craze among English nobles and common people. The game was so popular that it even reached France. The French nobles also liked this dice game that they decided to rename it to make it much closer to the French culture. From Hazard, the game became known as "craps", which is a derivation from the word crab. This term is used to refer to the lowest dice roll value one could have.
From France, craps reached the United States during the period of colonization. The French colonizers' descendants called Cajuns migrated from the original French colony of Arcadia bringing the game of craps with them. With this, craps reached various parts of the United States and was introduced to local people across the nation.
During 1833, a man named Bernard de Mandeville altered the rules of craps and made it much more simple than the original Hazard game. This version of craps became one of the favorite games in the boats of Mississippi river and also on the states along the river.
John H. Winn further developed the game of craps by doing some modifications on the rules of the game. Winn's modifications made it possible for craps players to bet for or against the shooter. This made craps even more fun and exciting.
The popularity of craps persisted up to the last decade of the 20th century. The legalization of casinos, especially in Nevada, popularized craps not only in the rest of the United States, but also around the world. Although other casino games may have overshadowed the popularity of craps for some time, this dice game remained one of the main attractions of casinos worldwide.
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