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.

According to Richard Epstein, craps is descended from an earlier game known as Hazard, that dates to the Middle Ages. The formal rules for Hazard were established by Montmort early in the 1700s. The origin of the name craps is shrouded in doubt, but it may have come from the English crabs, or from the French Crapeaud (for toad)

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

Many players who make pass line bets can't afford to take any odds or full odds behind the bet once the number is established. You can place the odds if the person allows you. The casino has no edge on the odds and in the long run your expectation is to break even. That could be a lot of casino fun with no expected cost! One caveat: Make sure the person behind whose bet you're taking odds fully understands what it is you are doing. You don't want to win a bet only to have the man or woman scoop it up and keep it.

A new game in Craps begins with the ""Come Out"" roll. A "Come Out" roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll more correctly known as "not making the "Point"" or "seven out". A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter does make his "Point", the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new "Come Out" roll. This is a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically, the "Come Out" roll identifies