However, later in the game, since you can trade properties and collect rent, it is a nice place to hold out to avoid landing on any high-rent properties. Pay the $50 and get back to building your empire. Early on in the game, don’t linger in the pokey. Unlike real-life jail, Monopoly jail can be a beautiful thing. For example, if there are 13 owned properties (besides yours), you’ll land on two of them. This is the number of times you’ll be expected to pay rent. Take the number of properties your opponents own collectively and divide by seven. Know that, on average, it takes five turns to circulate around the board. If you know how much money someone has, you know their bid limits, how many improvements they can afford and how many houses you should build to bankrupt them on their next move. Know that, on average, a player earns about $175 per trip around the board. Are you taking a ride on the Reading Railroad, or are you paying income taxes? The decks should never be shuffled, so memorize them so that you can have a good idea of what might pop up next. Nine of those Chance cards will send you to a different place, while 10 of the Community Chest cards will give you money (three take it away). There are 16 Chance and 16 Community Chest cards. Most importantly, don’t allow “house” rules or unsanctioned rule changes to infect the gameplay because Aunt Sally wants to “make it more fun.” These changes always add a glut of money into the Monopoly economy and soul-crushing hours of play to the game.īesides the rules and the characteristics of gameplay, know the elements involved. Don’t add additional houses or hotels to the game. Don’t collect rent on mortgaged properties. Don’t sell houses or hotels to other players. There’s no “tax man” player, nor is there a “maximum-security jail.”

You can’t travel from one railroad to another.

All taxes, fees and fines go directly to the bank only.

“Free Parking” is just a blank space with no attached compensation.

A player can buy houses and hotels at any time, except during another player’s turn.

Even the player that declined to purchase it may bid.

If a player doesn’t purchase a property, it immediately goes up for auction by the bank.

Spend a few minutes perusing the rules, and you will be surprised by some lesser-known revelations: The time-suck problem with Monopoly is likely your fault, as the odds are good you have been playing the game wrong your entire life.

Monopoly strategy