What a Load of Craps: 10 Facts About Craps
Of all the areas on a casino floor, the crowd around a craps table is probably the most fast-paced, high-energy place to be.
A game with multiple rounds which last only as long as it takes for a pair of dice to roll their way to a stop, craps is an exhilarating, social game that is simple to grasp despite its multiple complex betting options. It is this simplicity that attracts raucous crowds to any table. In short, it’s one of the most popular casino table games.
If you’ve ever been in a casino, especially in the United States, you’ve heard the shouts and whoops and betting calls of craps players around the deep-set, felt-covered table, cheering on the roll of the dice. It’s impossible to miss; the electric energy of a craps game fills the entire gaming floor.. But how much do you know about this beloved game? Let’s take a look at some interesting titbits about this classic casino game.
Why Is Craps Called Craps?
The name craps took off in North America, coming from the French word capaud which means toad.
What does a dice game have to do with toads, you ask? Well, when the game first came to North America from England and France, people played it on the side of the road. A group of players squatting on their haunches, crouched over a pair of dice, looked like toads.
Craps Is One of the Oldest Casino Games in the World
It’s not clear exactly how old this casino game is. There is a theory that Roman soldiers played a crude form of the game using knuckle bones from a pig. They rolled these across an upturned shield and bet on the result. If true, this would make the game thousands of years old.
The more widely-accepted origin of this casino game dates back to 1125 AD. This says the game was named asart or hazarth by the game’s supposed inventor, Sir William of Tyre. After he invented the game in France, it came to England as ‘Hazard’ before arriving in the Americas.
Four Employees, One Table
Most casino games have one dealer or croupier running the show at a table, with a pit boss managing several of them and stepping in as needed. Craps is a little different.
As we mentioned, you couldn’t miss a craps table in a casino if you tried. You’ll routinely see a dozen or more people crowded noisily around, shouting their bets and cheering on the winners. This means employees have to work together, typically four to a table, to keep everything running smoothly while maintaining the great atmosphere.
Eleven? No: It’s Yo-leven
If you count to twelve at a craps table, you’ll get it wrong after ten. There’s a lot of idioms and expressions that come from the world of casinos, and the special word for eleven at a craps table is one of them. Here, it’s known as yo-leven or simply yo.
Why? Because amidst the noise and babble around a craps table, the words eleven and seven are pretty similar. Players created this fun expression to differentiate the two bets. This way, croupiers know clearly where the chips are going.
Lucky Number 7
The number seven finds itself in a rock and a hard place when it comes to its desirability to craps players. A seven flits between being a positive and negative, depending on the stage of the game. If the shooter (person rolling) hits a seven on the come-out roll, it will secure the pass-line bet victory. However, if thrown at any point after that, it’s an instant round end and a pass-line bet defeat.
Odds on a 7
There are six ways a player can roll a lucky (or unlucky!) seven in craps: one and six, two and five, three and four, four and three, five and two, and six and one, which makes it one of the most common rolls in the game. Given it can statistically be rolled 16.67% of the time, partnered with its ability to provide instant success or defeat, it is what makes craps a highly engaging game.
The Table Isn’t One Big Bet
One of the biggest misconceptions about craps is that the whole table is basically the same wager, just written in different boxes. This isn’t the case. Some bets stay with the round and stay on the felt until the point is made or a seven ends it. Others are quick, one-roll bets that settle straight away, then disappear like they were never there.
That split is why craps can look louder and more chaotic than it really is. The same dice roll can have one group celebrating because it helped the point, while someone else may not be happy because their one-roll bet fizzled out straight away. It’s one table, but it’s two different rhythms running at the same time.
Craps Superstitions
When the house always has an edge, and you are simply playing a game of luck, it makes sense that players will take any edge they can. Therefore, you will often see a lot of players blow on the dice to bring good luck, whilst others won’t say the number seven at the table, as it is deemed to bring bad luck, given the number’s ability to swing games so drastically.
Another practice to avoid any bad luck is to ensure shooters do not pick the dice up with one hand. Oh, and do not step on the dice if they ping off the table, as that’ll bring you nothing but unwanted numbers.
Following all these? Good because you also can’t look a shooter in the eye if you want to ensure a strong roll.
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Craps Vocab
No one wants to be ‘crapping out’ at the table, but this is the phrase used when a shooter, that’s the person throwing the dice, loses the round after rolling a two, three or 12 on the come-out roll. You will also often hear “big six” and “big eight,” and these are called when players are betting on the numbers six and eight to be rolled before a seven.
Back on the superstitions, a craps table that is referred to as a cold table is one that has seen the dice rolling poorly i.e. not hitting the back walls as the game rules require or a lack of victories for the players. It is often believed these cold tables are due to people having cursed them by, for example, stepping on the dice.
1907: The First Craps Table
John H. Winn’s legacy still lives on, over 115 years later, with Winn developing the modern-day craps table layout still utilised today. The pioneer introduced betting areas for the pass-line and come-line bets, plus other sections for various wagers – previously, players had played craps on any flat surface they could find, even streets!
Dicing With…Height?
To ensure a fair game, the shooter must ensure the dice aren’t thrown too high, which is basically anything above eye level. In addition, to register a valid throw, the dice must hit the back wall, otherwise a no-roll will be called.
FAQs
What is the craps casino game?
Why is craps called “craps”?
Why do casinos use the term “yo” for eleven?
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Why are there so many staff around one craps table?
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