Soldiers in the Roman Legions used to shave down pig knuckles into the shapes of cubes, and toss them onto their inverted shields as a form of entertainment while in camp. Hence we get the term "to roll the bones". We do know that the game we know today as "craps" came to the United States from Europe.

The game of craps is the most popular dice game in the United States at the moment there are a few different theories about its origin. Dice games can be traced back to the roman times with shaved pigs knuckles being used as the dice. Craps however was based on the game hazard, which was popular in the 17th and 18th century in England. The name craps is believed to have derived from the English crabs which was the name for the throw of aces or ace-deuce.

The game moved over to the United States when the French moved to New Orleans and the French pronounced the game craps and in there version of the game the player throws against the house and not another player like the English version of the game. The game was very popular on the Mississippi river boats and it was a simplified version of modern day craps that was spread about the United States.

There are two modern day versions of craps played today. Street craps has more in common with the riverboat game than Bank craps and it is so named as it can be played on the street. A shooter establishes a point, then tries to make that point. Bettors either bet with the shooter or against the shooter. Someone must cover the bet for the shooter in order for the game to progress.

Bank craps is the form played in the casinos and has a more complicated form of betting with the house covering the bets.

On the "Come Out" roll, the "Pass Line" bet wins if the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11. The bet loses automatically if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12. This is known as "rolling craps". If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the shooter must roll this same number again (to win) before rolling the number 7. Rolling any of these numbers on the "Come Out" roll is called "establishing the "Point". Any number so rolled is thereafter referred to as the "Point".

The pass line bet is placed on the pass line before the come out Roll. If you Roll a 7 or 11, you win and the round is done. If you roll a 2, 3, or 12, it is craps and you lose. Any other number (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) becomes the point. You win the pass line bet if the point is rolled before a 7. You lose the pass line bet, if a 7 is rolled before the point. A Winning pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1)

There is no strategy available for the game of craps as it is a game of chance and the house always has the edge. There is however a large difference in the house edge varying from about 1.5% to 16.5% so it is in any players interest to know which bets are the best ones to place. The best possible odds are for the line and the come, either pass or don't pass COME BETS & DON'T COME Even money bet with the house edge of 1.414% DON'T COME Even money bet with the house edge of 1.402%, PASS LINE Even money bet with the house edge of 1.414%, DON'T PASS Even money bet with the house edge of 1.402%, PLACE BETS The 4 and 10 pay 9-5, true odds 10-5, yielding a house edge of 6.66%. The 5 and 9 pay 7-5, true odds are 7.5-5 (house edge 4%) The 6 and 8 pay 7-6, true odds are 6-5 (house edge 1.51%. PLACE BETS The 4 and 10 pay 9-5, true odds 10-5, yielding a house edge of 6.66%. The 5 and 9 pay 7-5, true odds are 7.5-5 (house edge 4%) The 6 and 8 pay 7-6, true odds are 6-5 (house edge 1.51%. BUY BETS Player pays 5% "vigorish" to get true odds on all numbers. Only the 4 and 10 make buy bets worthwhile. They reduce the house edge to 4.76%. SEVEN This one-rol l bet pays odds of 4 to 1, correct odds are 5 to 1 with the difference giving the house a 16,66% edge. ELEVEN This is another one-roll bet. It pays 14 to 1, but the true odds are 17 to 1 with a house percentage of 16.66%..bad bet! HARD WAYS This bet can be made on the 4, 6, 8 and 10. Payoff is 9 to 1 on the 6 or 8 and 7 to 1 on the 4 or 10. The house edge is 9.09% and 11.11%, respectively. Another bad bet. THE FIELD A one-roll bet that pays even money or 2 to 1 on 2 or 12. House edge is 5.55%. ANY CRAPS This is a one-roll bet. If a 2, 3 or 12 hits, you'll get 7 to 1 odds. House edge is 11.11%, which makes this a bad bet. Only take the high risk shots as fun and not part of a system. You should realise that Any uneven bet in craps is normally rounded down so betting the right amount for the payout is recommended

For gambling to remain fun, you need to know that you are not spending more than you can afford. Gambling operators are trying their hardest to get you to play for as long as possible – so it is very easy for you to spend more than you can afford. Setting a limit for your turnover (or losses, if that is easier) and keeping records help you to know how much you are spending. Use the gambling diary that is part of the game Guide to keep track of your wins and losses.

4. Point is made.

The betting progression always starts new when the point is established. For example, the shooter establishes a new point. On your first place bet win you would say same bet. If the same number is thrown a second time, you would say press it. If one of your other numbers is thrown, you would say same bet on the first hit, press it on the second hit.

What I'm trying to do is to make a slow progression up in bets, while taking off some profit. I don't want to have too much money laid out too soon. If you are in a true hot roll, the numbers will repeat often enough so you'll be able to double your place bets up high enough to win some serious money.

Craps is one of the more intimidating games at the casino for a beginner as there are lots of different betting options available to the player and the game is quite fast paced there is however no need to be intimidated as once you know the rules the game of craps can offer some of the best odds in the casino. The game of craps is played with two ordinary dice that are thrown the length of the table and must bounce off the far wall. The wins and losses depend upon the value of the dice when they land. Each player is given a turn to throw the dice or become the shooter with the dice going clock-wise around the table. The shooter makes their first roll which is called a come out roll the shooter then keeps throwing the dice until he fails to make a winning throw known as 'not making point' the dice are then passed on to the new shooter and a new game begins.