In honour of Monopoly's 80th birthday today, I thought we'd feature one of the most legendary board games of all time.
Are you frustrated that you keep losing at the Monopoly board game to your friends, family and foes? Does the fact that someone tells you “It’s only a game” make you even angrier, especially because it usually comes from someone that has just won and it trying to console your pathetic attempt at losing gracefully?
It doesn’t have to be that way. You could go home a champion.
In this missive, I will break down the strategies that you can arm yourself to win more often than you ever have before.
Without blatant and secretive cheating, of course.
Are you frustrated that you keep losing at the Monopoly board game to your friends, family and foes? Does the fact that someone tells you “It’s only a game” make you even angrier, especially because it usually comes from someone that has just won and it trying to console your pathetic attempt at losing gracefully?
It doesn’t have to be that way. You could go home a champion.
In this missive, I will break down the strategies that you can arm yourself to win more often than you ever have before.
Without blatant and secretive cheating, of course.
Back in 1935, the first permutation of Monopoly had been invented (or stolen, depending on how you look at it) by Parker Brothers. It was loosely based on a game called The Landlords Game, which was created by a woman named Elizabeth Phillips back in the early 1900’s.
Monopoly quick fact trivia:
The board consists of 40 spaces of which there are 28 properties.
22 coloured streets, four railways spots and two utilities
3 Chance spaces
3 Community Chest spaces
2 Tax spaces
4 Corner spots – GO, Jail/Just Visiting, Free Parking and Go To Jail
The money involved in the game has gone up since 2008 and die-hards with lots of time (and OCD perhaps) on their hands that have counted the money will notice this. Prior to 2008 the total value of monopoly money in the bank was $15,140. Post 2008 there is a total of $20,580. Everyone has to keep up with inflation.
And now what you’ve all been waiting for. How to destroy your competition, get the girl and go home with a chip on your shoulder.
Strategy #1 – Orange is the new Black
The most frequently landed on group of properties are the orange ones - Tennessee, St. James Place and New York Avenue. This fact has been proven in scientific journals and by statisticians that probably don’t date very often. If you happen to land on these buy them. If someone else is willing to trade these to you, take them. Do what you can, short of selling your body or soul (unless either is meaningless to you) to build houses and hotels on this group. You will inherit the earth.
Strategy #2 – Get the Railroads
As a group, the railroads are landed on VERY frequently. Reading, B&O and Pennsylvania railroads are all in the top ten of most landed on spots. Short line, for whatever statistical reason, is not in the top ten but still ranks top 25. Thus (that word makes anyone sounds 10 IQ points smarter by the way)
Strategy #3 – Sweet Home Chicago
Illinois Avenue is the most landed on square. If you buy this one, you’re guaranteed to make twenty bucks a pop the first few times around. Not to mention that there is a chance card that gets people straight to that property as well. Good way of making some quick dough early on.
Also note that the red property group is the second most landed on color group. After you get the oranges, aim to secure the reds and start improving the properties. Eternal riches will start to become yours
Strategy #4 – Three Houses are Better Than Four
Apparently there is no shortage of statisticians out there that love crunching numbers into mathematical models and excel spreadsheets. Just like the world needs ditch-diggers (as my father kindly reminded me when I debated dropping out of college), the world needs number crunchers.
This strategy is simple.
When you accumulate all the colors of a property group, don’t build more than 3 houses on each property. The best return on your investment and the fastest way to breakeven on the cost of those houses is to build just three of them. Look, you’re not Donald Trump or Steve Wynn here. No need to build fancy red hotels to blow your ego through the roof and show off. People that make up numbers estimate that no one cares if you built a hotel on your Monopoly property approximately 3 minutes after the game is done.
Strategy #5 – Jail is Not a Bad Place to Be, Depending...
In the world of Monopoly, jail doesn’t suck. You can definitely use it to your advantage in a couple of very important ways.
If the game is underway and there are abundant properties just waiting for the little pewter tokens to land on, you do not want to be in jail. You want to be out there as fast as possible buying up properties and accumulating a portfolio. Don’t be cheap and try to roll doubles, pay the $50 and get out there to scoop up some properties.
Now, when all the properties are taken (or very close to it) and especially when someone (including you) has improved their properties, Jail is not a bad place to be. It is a place to sit back, relax and wait for people to land on your properties and you collect cold, hard and fake cash. It is also where you can watch other people get hosed by landing on other peoples’ properties.
Use jail to your advantage when these opportunities arise. There’s no shame in making money while being in jail, ask Larry Hoover or Al Capone. If you’re psychic of course.
Now go forth and best your friends and family at monopoly.
Take no prisoners.
Winning is everything, no matter what your teachers and parents tell you.
Monopoly quick fact trivia:
The board consists of 40 spaces of which there are 28 properties.
22 coloured streets, four railways spots and two utilities
3 Chance spaces
3 Community Chest spaces
2 Tax spaces
4 Corner spots – GO, Jail/Just Visiting, Free Parking and Go To Jail
The money involved in the game has gone up since 2008 and die-hards with lots of time (and OCD perhaps) on their hands that have counted the money will notice this. Prior to 2008 the total value of monopoly money in the bank was $15,140. Post 2008 there is a total of $20,580. Everyone has to keep up with inflation.
And now what you’ve all been waiting for. How to destroy your competition, get the girl and go home with a chip on your shoulder.
Strategy #1 – Orange is the new Black
The most frequently landed on group of properties are the orange ones - Tennessee, St. James Place and New York Avenue. This fact has been proven in scientific journals and by statisticians that probably don’t date very often. If you happen to land on these buy them. If someone else is willing to trade these to you, take them. Do what you can, short of selling your body or soul (unless either is meaningless to you) to build houses and hotels on this group. You will inherit the earth.
Strategy #2 – Get the Railroads
As a group, the railroads are landed on VERY frequently. Reading, B&O and Pennsylvania railroads are all in the top ten of most landed on spots. Short line, for whatever statistical reason, is not in the top ten but still ranks top 25. Thus (that word makes anyone sounds 10 IQ points smarter by the way)
Strategy #3 – Sweet Home Chicago
Illinois Avenue is the most landed on square. If you buy this one, you’re guaranteed to make twenty bucks a pop the first few times around. Not to mention that there is a chance card that gets people straight to that property as well. Good way of making some quick dough early on.
Also note that the red property group is the second most landed on color group. After you get the oranges, aim to secure the reds and start improving the properties. Eternal riches will start to become yours
Strategy #4 – Three Houses are Better Than Four
Apparently there is no shortage of statisticians out there that love crunching numbers into mathematical models and excel spreadsheets. Just like the world needs ditch-diggers (as my father kindly reminded me when I debated dropping out of college), the world needs number crunchers.
This strategy is simple.
When you accumulate all the colors of a property group, don’t build more than 3 houses on each property. The best return on your investment and the fastest way to breakeven on the cost of those houses is to build just three of them. Look, you’re not Donald Trump or Steve Wynn here. No need to build fancy red hotels to blow your ego through the roof and show off. People that make up numbers estimate that no one cares if you built a hotel on your Monopoly property approximately 3 minutes after the game is done.
Strategy #5 – Jail is Not a Bad Place to Be, Depending...
In the world of Monopoly, jail doesn’t suck. You can definitely use it to your advantage in a couple of very important ways.
If the game is underway and there are abundant properties just waiting for the little pewter tokens to land on, you do not want to be in jail. You want to be out there as fast as possible buying up properties and accumulating a portfolio. Don’t be cheap and try to roll doubles, pay the $50 and get out there to scoop up some properties.
Now, when all the properties are taken (or very close to it) and especially when someone (including you) has improved their properties, Jail is not a bad place to be. It is a place to sit back, relax and wait for people to land on your properties and you collect cold, hard and fake cash. It is also where you can watch other people get hosed by landing on other peoples’ properties.
Use jail to your advantage when these opportunities arise. There’s no shame in making money while being in jail, ask Larry Hoover or Al Capone. If you’re psychic of course.
Now go forth and best your friends and family at monopoly.
Take no prisoners.
Winning is everything, no matter what your teachers and parents tell you.
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