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Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is just about one hundred years old. Current craps flourished from the archaic English game known as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been developed by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s theorized that Sir William’s soldiers played Hazard for the duration of a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was developed from the castle’s name.

Early French colonists imported the dice game Hazard to French North America (the colony of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French relocated south and discovered sanctuary in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they fled Nova Scotia, they brought their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and developed it to be more statistically attractive. It is believed that the Cajuns changed the name of the game to craps, which was derived from the name of the non-winning roll of 2 in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and all over the country. Many see the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the modern craps table design. He added the Do not Pass line so folks could wager on the shooter to lose. Later, he developed the spaces for Place wagers and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

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Casino staff usually allude to chips as "cheques," being of French ancestry. In reality, there is a distinction between a chip and a cheque. A cheque is a chip with a value printed on its face and is forever valued at the amount of the imprinted amount. Chips, although, do not have denominations written on them and any color can be worth any amount as determined by the dealer. For example, in a poker tournament, the dealer may define white chips as $1 and blue chips as ten dollars; while, in a game of roulette, the house might value white chips as 25 cents and blue chips as $2. An additional example, the cheap red, white, and blue poker chips you purchase at Wal-Mart for your weekly poker get together are called "chips" seeing as they do not have values imprinted on them.

When you plop your $$$$$ down on the table and hear the croupier announce, "Cheque change only," he is simply advising the box man that a new patron wants to change money for chips (cheques), and that the $$$$$ on the craps table is not part of the action. $$$$$$ plays in most betting houses, so if you lay a five dollar bill on the Pass Line just prior to the tosser throwing the dice and the croupier does not trade your $$$$$ for cheques, your money is "in play." When the croupier states, "Cheque change only," the boxman knows that your $$$$$$ is not part of the action.

In reality, in live craps rounds, we wager with cheques, not chips. Ever so often, a gambler will approach the table, put down a one hundred dollar cheque, and tell the croupier, "Cheque change." It’s fun to act like a newbie and ask the dealer, "Hey, I am new to Craps, what’s a cheque?" Generally, their crazy answers will entertain you.