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• Craps is a casino dice game in which players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll or a series of rolls of two dice. The game became popular among travelers on 19th century Mississippi River steamboats and quickly spread through the United States as the ships carried craps players upriver.

• Fast Facts

  1. Developed in the 1700s
  2. Formerly known as "Crabs"
  3. A simplification of the Old English game of Hazard
  4. Modern version was developed by Bernard de Mandeville of New Orleans in the early 19th century
  5. The popularity of craps waned in the late 20th century

• Popular Wartime Game

  Since a pair of dice is the only required equipment for a game of craps, it became a popular way for soldiers to pass the time between combat. Many soldiers played craps during World War II and early versions of the game found Legionnaires in Ancient Rome entertaining themselves by rolling pig knuckle bones shaped into cubes on their shields. This is when and how the term "roll the bones" is believed to have originated.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  How to Play Craps | Gambling | Poker | Blackjack | Dice | Texas Hold'em | Casino Games | Las Vegas Vacation | Patricia Demauro

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