Monopoly (game) Monopoly (game) Players make their way around the Monopoly board, such as this German one. Publisher Medium ( dice rolling , card drawing, luck) Skills required Social skills BoardGameGeek entry Throughout this article, the unqualified use of currency denominations such as "$" or "£" generally refers to play money in the context of the game. Monopoly is the best-selling commercial board game in the world. Players compete to acquire wealth through stylized economic activity involving the buying, rental and trading of properties using play money , as players take turns moving around the board according to the roll of the dice . The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single seller. According to Hasbro, since Charles Darrow patented the game in 1935, approximately 750 million people have played the game, making it "the most played [commercial] board game in the world." The 1999 Guinness Book of Records cited Hasbro's previous statistic of 500 million people having played Monopoly. Games Magazine has inducted Monopoly into its Hall of Fame.

History The history of Monopoly can be traced back to the early 1900s. In 1904, an inventor named Lizzie Magie patented a game through which she hoped to be able to explain some of the economic ideas of Henry George. Her game, The Landlord's Game, was commercially published a few years later. Magie's game was redeveloped by her, and other interested game players, many of whom made their own sets. Magie herself patented a revised edition of the game in 1924, and similar games were published commercially. By the early 1930s a board game named Monopoly was created much like the version of Monopoly sold by Parker Brothers and its parent companies through the rest of the 20th century, and into the 21st. Several different people, mostly in the U.S. Midwest and near the U.S. East Coast, contributed to the game's design and evolution.

By the 1970s, the game's early history had been lost (and at least one historian has argued that it was purposely suppressed - see below), and the idea that it had been created solely by Charles Darrow had become popular folklore, printed in the game's instructions, and even the 1974 book The Monopoly Book: Strategy and Tactics of the World's Most Popular Game, by Maxine Brady. As Professor Ralph Anspach fought Parker Brothers and their then parent company, General Mills, over the trademarks of the Monopoly board game, much of the early history of the game was "rediscovered." Because of the lengthy court process, and appeals, the legal status of Parker Brothers' trademarks on the game was not settled until the mid-1980s. The game's name remains a registered trademark of Parker Brothers, as do its specific design elements. Parker Brothers current corporate parent, Hasbro, again only acknowledges the role of Charles Darrow in the creation of the game. Anspach published a book about his researches, called The Billion Dollar Monopoly Swindle, in which he makes his case about the purposeful suppression of the game's early history and development.

Board Atlantic City version This is the original and classic version produced originally by Charles Darrow, and later by Parker Brothers. The board consists of 40 squares containing 28 properties, 3 " Chance" squares, 3 " Community Chest" squares, a " Luxury Tax" square, an " Income Tax" square, "GO", " Jail", " Free Parking", and "Go To Jail." In the U.S. version shown below, the properties are named after locations in (or near) Atlantic City, New Jersey. Standard (American Edition) Monopoly game board layout [ ] Free Parking Mediterranean Avenue ($60) Landing on the Jail space by a direct roll of the dice (without being sent to Jail) in the corner between the Light Blue and Light Purple/Maroon properties means the player is "Just Visiting" and continue the next turn normally. Note that Marvin Gardens, a Yellow property on the above board, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. Marven Gardens is not a street, but a housing area outside Atlantic City. The housing area is said to be derived from MARgate City and VENtnor City in New Jersey (emphasis added).

The misspelling was originally introduced by Charles Todd, whose home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and subsequently used as the basis of their design by Parker Brothers. It was not until 1995 that Parker Brothers acknowledged this mistake and formally apologized to the residents of Marven Gardens for the misspelling. Illinois Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Atlantic City sometime during the 1980s. States Avenue and Saint Charles Place no longer exist, as the Showboat Casino Hotel was developed where they once ran. Short Line is believed to refer to the Shore Fast Line, a streetcar line that served Atlantic City. The B&O Railroad did not serve Atlantic City. A booklet included with the reprinted 1935 edition states that the four railroads that served Atlantic City in the mid-1930s were the Jersey Central, the Seashore Lines, the Reading Railroad, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Finally, Atlantic City does not have a Water Works – its water is piped in from the New Jersey "mainland" through two pipes.

The other versions of the game have different property names, and the prices may be denominated in another currency, but the game mechanics are almost identical. The income tax choice from the U.S. version is replaced by a flat rate in the UK version, and the $75 Luxury Tax square is replaced with the £100 Super Tax square. The same is true of current German boards, with a €200 for the Income Tax space on the board, and a €100 Zusatzsteuer (Add-on tax) in place of the Luxury Tax. To complicate matters further, an Austrian version, released by Parker Brothers/Hasbro in 2001, does allow for the 10% or €200 for Income Tax and has a €100 Luxury Tax. London version In the 1930s, John Waddington Ltd. (Waddingtons) was a firm of printers from Leeds that had begun to branch out into packaging and the production of playing cards. Waddingtons had sent the card game Lexicon to Parker Brothers hoping to interest them in publishing the game in the United States.

In a similar fashion Parker Brothers sent over a copy of Monopoly to Waddingtons early in 1935 before the game had been put into production in the United States. The managing director of Waddingtons, Victor Watson, gave the game to his son Norman (who was head of the card games division) to test over the weekend. Norman was impressed by the game and persuaded his father to call Parker Brothers on Monday morning. This call resulted in Waddingtons obtaining a license to produce and market the game outside of the United States. Watson felt that in order for the game to be a success in Britain the American locations would have to be replaced, so Victor and his secretary, Marjory Phillips, went to London to scout out locations. The Angel, Islington is not a street in London but an area of North London named after a coaching inn that stood on the Great North Road. By the 1930s the inn had become a Lyons Corner House (it is now a Co-operative Bank). Some accounts say that Marjory and Victor met at the Angel to discuss the selection and celebrated the fact by including it on the Monopoly board.

In 2003, a plaque commemorating the naming, was unveiled at the site by Victor Watson's grandson who is also named Victor. The standard British board, produced by Waddingtons, was for many years the version most familiar to people in countries in the Commonwealth (except Canada , where the U.S. edition with Atlantic City-area names was reprinted), although local variants of the board are now also found in several of these countries such as New Zealand (see Localized versions of the Monopoly game). In the cases where the game was produced under license by a national company, the £ (pound) was replaced by a $ (dollar) sign, but the place names were unchanged. Standard (British Edition) Monopoly game board layout [ ] Free Parking Whitechapel Road (£60) Old Kent Road (£60) For a list of some of the localized versions, including the UK "Here & Now" edition, and the names of their properties, see localized versions of the Monopoly game. Here and Now Editions United Kingdom In 2005, Hasbro launched the UK version of the "Here and Now Limited Edition", updating the properties and prices to reflect present-day London properties.

The playing pieces were also changed to be: Mobile phone, Roller blade, Hamburger, Jumbo Jet , Racing Car, Skateboard and London Bus . This version was launched in recognition of the game's 70th anniversary in conjunction with an online version. United States The U.S. version of the "Here and Now Edition" replaces Atlantic City landmarks with legendary U.S. streets, neighborhoods and national monuments. Fans were able to vote on the U.S. Monopoly website for their favorite landmarks from 22 cities – including New York 's Times Square, Chicago 's Wrigley Field, Honolulu's Waikiki Beach, Minneapolis' Mall of America, Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, Nashville 's Grand Ole Opry, Phoenix's Camelback Mountain, and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Additionally, the votes determined where each landmark appears on the game board; the city with the most votes landing on the coveted Boardwalk spot. The railroads were replaced by airports, namely, New York's JFK, Chicago's O'Hare, Los Angeles' LAX and Atlanta 's Hartsfield-Jackson. Property values have been increased, money is in higher denominations, and the Community Chest and Chance cards reflect more modern scenarios.

Tokens in the new game include a box of McDonald's French fries, a cup of Starbucks coffee, a Toyota Prius, a New Balance tennis shoe, a Motorola RAZR cellular phone, and a laptop. A version for Microsoft Windows based on the same board was also released on CD-ROM, produced by Encore, Inc. Germany A German edition (called "Monopoly Heute" or "Monopoly Today") was released in 2005, with updated properties in Berlin. France The French edition (called "Monopoly - Nouveau plateau") was released in 2005, with updated properties in Paris. Australia The Australian edition followed a nomination process similar to the American edition, though with Premiers making the nominations to Hasbro. The set was released in autumn 2006. Canada A Here and Now Limited Edition has been released in Canada around the same time as that of the US version. It includes landmarks such as Niagara Falls, Percé Rock and Yorkville. Debit Card versions A "Here and Now Electronic Banking Edition" was released in the United Kingdom in 2006, which includes an ATM and Visa debit cards in place of paper money.

Australia also has the UK Debit Card version, however with Pound sterling instead of Australian dollars. A similar edition is available in Germany and France where they are known as "Monopoly Banking" and "Monopoly Electronique" respectively. Properties in detail This list details the 22 real estate properties in the original American version of Monopoly as presented by Darrow to Parker Brothers. The Original Atlantic City Monopoly board was done by Hoskin/Raiford's Atlantic City Quaker Friends School teachers with the changes noted by starred [*] items. The bracketed items are the differences in the names on the Hoskin/Raiford Quaker Monopoly board. It is believed that a version copied from this school's edition by Charles Todd was in turn copied by Charles Darrow, duplicating the changes in names, and the infamous misspelling of Marven Gardens. Name 2000 200 The four railroads/stations (Reading Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, B&O Railroad, and Short Line/Kings Cross, Marylebone, Fenchurch St, Liverpool St) are each worth 200.

Rent is based on the number of railroads that player owns: 25 for one, 50 for two, 100 for three, and 200 for all four. Each railroad has a mortgage value of 100. The two utilities (Electric Company and Water Works) are each worth 150. If a player owns either, rent is equal to the amount shown on the dice times 4. If a player owns both, rent is equal to the amount shown on the dice times 10. Each utility has a mortgage value of 75. Equipment All twelve tokens from the U.S. Deluxe Edition Monopoly. Each player is represented by a small pewter token which is moved around the edge of the board according to the roll of two dice .

The twelve playing pieces currently used are pictured to the left and are as follows (from left to right): a wheelbarrow (1937b edition), a battleship, a sack of money (1999 editions onwards), a horse and rider, a car , a train (Deluxe Edition only), a thimble, a cannon (1937b edition), an old style shoe, a Scottie dog, an iron, and a top hat. Many of the tokens came from companies such as Dowst Miniature Toy Company, which made metal charms and tokens designed to be used on charm bracelets. The battleship and spinning wheel were also used briefly in the Parker Brothers war game Conflict (released in 1940), but after the game failed on the market, the premade pieces were recycled into Monopoly usage. Hasbro recently adopted the battleship and cannon for Diplomacy. Early localized editions of the standard edition (including some Canadian editions, which used the U.S. board layout) did not include pewter tokens but instead had generic wooden head-shaped tokens identical to those in Sorry! (not unlike the MSN Messenger logo). Parker Brothers also acquired Sorry! in the 1930s.

Plastic versions of these tokens can be seen in the German Monopoly set pictured at the beginning of this article. Other things included in the standard edition are: The dice in Britain were replaced with a spinner because of a lack of materials due to World War II A pair of six-sided dice . A Title Deed for each property. A Title Deed is given to a player to signify ownership, and specifies purchase price, mortgage value, the cost of building houses and hotels on that property, and the various rent prices depending on how developed the property is. Properties include: 22 streets, divided into 8 color groups of two or three streets. A player must own all of a colour group (have a monopoly) in order to build houses or hotels. A player can also be considered to have a monopoly by having both utilities and/or all four railroads (or stations) during gameplay. However, the utilities and railroads cannot be improved or have houses and/or hotels built on them. 4 railways/stations. Players collect higher rent if they own more than one railway. Hotels and houses cannot be built on railways. These are usually replaced by railway stations in non-U.S. editions of Monopoly. 2 utilities.

Players collect higher rent if they own both utilities. Hotels and houses cannot be built on utilities. A supply of paper money. The supply of money is theoretically unlimited; if the bank runs out of money the players must make do with other markers, or calculate on paper. Additional paper money can be bought at certain locations, notably game and hobby stores. In U.S. standard editions, the supply generally starts with $15,140, the same amount given away in United States dollars to the winner of the quadrennial Monopoly World Championship. 32 wooden or plastic houses and 12 wooden or plastic hotels. (The original and the current 'Deluxe Edition' have wooden houses and hotels; the current 'base set' uses plastic buildings.) Unlike money, houses and hotels have a finite supply. If no more are available, no substitute is allowed. A deck of 16 Chance cards and a deck of 16 Community Chest cards. Players draw these cards when they land on the corresponding squares of the track, and follow the instructions printed on them.

Hasbro also sells a Deluxe Edition, which is mostly identical to the classic edition but has wooden houses and hotels and gold-toned tokens, including one token in addition to the standard eleven: a railroad locomotive. Other additions to the Deluxe Edition include a card carousel, which holds the title deed cards, and money printed with two colors of ink. In 1978, retailer Neiman Marcus manufactured and sold an all-Chocolate edition of Monopoly through their "Christmas Wish Book" for that year. The entire set was edible, including the money, dice, hotels, properties, tokens and playing board. The set retailed for US$ 600. The F.A.O. Schwarz store in New York City sold a custom version in 2000 called " One-Of-A-Kind Monopoly" for US$ 100,000.

This special edition comes in a locking attaché case made with Napolino leather and lined in suede, and features include: 18- carat (75%) gold tokens, houses and hotels Rosewood board street names written in gold leaf emeralds around the Chance icon sapphires around the Community Chest rubies in the brake lights of the car on the Free Parking Space the money is real, negotiable United States currency The Guinness Book of World Records states that a set made of 23-carat gold, with rubies and sapphires atop the chimneys of the houses and hotels, and worth US$ 2,000,000 is the most expensive Monopoly set ever produced. Rules Two to eight people may play Monopoly, but the game dynamics are ideal with six players. With more than six players, it is too likely that an individual will not have the opportunity to buy significant property and be bankrupted without ever having been in contention. With four or fewer players, there are not as many possible combinations of property ownership, and the importance of astute trading and negotiation is diminished.

Each player begins the game with his token on the Go square, and $1500 (£1500, €1500, etc.) in cash divided as follows, per the U.S. standard rules: 2 each of: 1 x £5 5 x £1 Classic German editions (i.e. those pre-Euro) started with 30,000 "Spielmark" in eight denominations and abbreviated M., and later used the Deutschmark (DM.) abbreviation, with seven denominations. In the classic Italian game, each player receives L350,000 ($3500) in a two-player game, but L50,000 ($500) less for each player more than two. Only in a six-player game does a player receive the equivalent of $1500. The classic Italian games were played with only four denominations of currency. At least one Spanish edition (the Barcelona edition) started the game with 150,000 in play money, with a breakdown identical to that of the American version. All property deeds, houses, and hotels are held by the bank until bought by the players.

Official rules Players take turns in order, as determined by chance before the game. A player's turn consists of rolling two dice and advancing on the board the corresponding number of squares clockwise around the track. Depending on where he/she lands, he/she takes any of a number of actions. If he or she lands on an unowned property, then the player has two options. He or she can either buy the property for its listed purchase price, or he or she can put it up for auction. The same goes for Railroads and utilities. If a person lands on Chance or Community Chest, then he or she draws the top card from the respective pile. If the player rolls doubles, he or she rolls again after completing the first turn, but if the player rolls three doubles in a row, he/she is sent to jail. If the player lands on a owned property he or she pays the owner a set amount of rent on colored properties and railroads, or multiplies a dice roll by a certain factor for the utilities. The player can also buy houses for their property if he/she owns all the property in a color group. The rent increases the more houses are on a space. Once there are four houses on a space, the player can build a hotel.

The construction or selling back of houses and hotels must be done evenly across all properties in a colour group. This means that each property must have first received one house before a second can be constructed, two houses before a third can be constructed, and so on. House rules Many casual Monopoly players are surprised and disappointed to discover that some of the rules that they are used to are not part of the official rules. Many of these house rules tend to make the game longer by giving some players more money. Some common house rules include the following (and more can be found via links at the end of this article): Free Parking jackpot, which usually consists of an initial stake (typically $500) plus collections of fines and taxes otherwise paid to the bank. A player who lands on Free Parking wins the jackpot, which may then be reset with the initial stake (if any). The jackpot is usually put in the centre of the board. Players in jail cannot collect rent, build house or conduct trades. A bonus for landing directly on GO by dice roll (commonly an additional $200). This does not include cards that send the player to GO. Delayed Start: Players must pass GO before they can buy property.

Not having an auction when a player lands on a property and does not buy it. Unlimited houses and hotels. A variant on this is to declare that houses cost $50 each, and hotels cost $100 each. The fourth house step in building is skipped. In other words, after building a third house, the next step is building a hotel. No need to build houses and hotels evenly over monopolized properties. A bonus for rolling snake eyes (a pair of ones), often $100 or $500. Properties are auctioned as soon as they are landed on, without the chance for the player who landed on the property to buy it outright. This is actually carried over from "auction monopoly" rules that were popular in the 1920s. All properties are handed out evenly to all players before the game begins, or one or two are dealt to each player. (This variation is in the official UK rules as a short game option.) No income tax on weekends and after 4 p.m. because the "income tax office" is closed. A ' get out of jail free' card means that one can stay where they are on the board. No need to roll a double when in jail.

A player rolling a 3 has the option of taking a Chance card instead. The final unsold property is added to the Free Parking jackpot and must be won therein; it cannot be purchased even if a player lands on it. A player can build a house as soon as he or she buys a property. A player may buy resort shares when passing GO. Buying shares means that a player pays the lowest rent if he or she lands there. A player who owns a property colour set may sell shares of one of them. A player who buys property shares pays half of the rent if he or she lands there and receives half of the rent if other players land there. House rules, while unofficial, are not wholly unrecognized by Parker Brothers. George S. Parker himself created two variants, to shorten the length of game play. Video game and computer game versions of Monopoly have options where popular house rules can be used. House rules that have the effect of introducing more money into the game have a side-effect of increasing the time it takes for players to become bankrupt, lengthening the game considerably. Strategy Monopoly involves a substantial portion of luck, with the roll of the dice determining whether a player gets to own key properties or lands on squares with high rents.

Even the initial misfortune of going last is a significant disadvantage because one is more likely to land on property which has already been bought and therefore be forced to pay rent instead of having an opportunity to buy unowned property. There are, however, many strategic decisions which allow skilled players to win more often than the unskilled. Property square probabilities The layout of the "special" squares on the board (that is, the non-property squares), as well as the dice-roll probabilities, mean that not all squares have an equal probability of being landed upon. 1 11 12 As illustrated by the table, seven is the most probable roll, occurring 6 out of 36 times whereas 2 and 12 are the least probable rolls, each occurring once every 36 rolls. For this reason, Park Place is one of the least landed-on squares as the square seven places behind it is "Go to Jail". Also when you are in jail, you are likely to get out by rolling a double, one in every six rolls. A get out of jail free card can be sold to any other player. In consequence, some properties are landed upon more than others and the owners of those properties get more income from rent.

The board layout factors include the following: Jail: Since players are frequently directed to "Go To Jail," they will move through the purple, orange and red property groups immediately after leaving Jail. The two properties with the highest probability of being landed upon after leaving jail are the two cheaper orange properties (St James Place and Tennessee Avenue in North America, Bow Street and Marlborough Street outside North America). This makes the orange property set highly lucrative. Go to…: One square — Go To Jail — plus a number of Chance and Community Chest cards will cause the player to advance a distance around the board. Thus, the squares immediately following Go To Jail and the take-a-card squares have a reduced probability of being landed upon. The least-landed upon property in this situation is the cheaper dark blue property (Park Place or Park Lane) because it sets in the lee of both Go to Jail and Community Chest (the Chance directly before it wouldn't affect its odds because it is impossible to roll a one). Go to (property): Several properties are blessed with Chance cards which draw players to them.

St Charles Place (Pall Mall), Illinois Avenue (Trafalgar Square), Boardwalk (Mayfair), all of the railroads except Short Line (Liverpool Street Station), and both of the utilities benefit from this feature. Reading Railroad (King's Cross Station) has the fortune of having both a "go to" dedicated card plus the card advancing to the nearest railroad. Advance to Go: A player may be directed to the Go square by a Chance or a Community Chest card, thus lowering the probability of being landed-upon of every square in-between. The properties most affected by this are the yellow, green, and dark blue sets. It also marginally raises the probability for each square in the wake of Go, including the purple and orange sets which will be reached two or three rolls after being on Go. Go Back Three Spaces: This directive comes from a Chance card. A quick look at the board shows that there are three Chance squares and hence three other squares which are 3 spaces behind. The leading orange property (New York Avenue or Vine Street) gains the most benefit from this card since the Chance square nestled amongst the red properties is itself the most landed-upon Chance square.

In all, during game play, Illinois Avenue (Trafalgar Square), New York Avenue (Vine Street), B&O Railroad (Fenchurch Street Station), and Reading Railroad (King's Cross Station) are the most frequently landed-upon properties. Mediterranean Avenue (Old Kent Road) and Baltic Avenue (Whitechapel Road) are the least-landed-upon properties. Dealing and bargaining Much of the skill comes from knowing how to make the best use of a player's resources and above all knowing how to strike a good bargain. Monopoly is a social game where players often interact and must "deal" with each other in ways not unlike "real world" real estate bargaining. Note that the best deal is not always for the most expensive property; it is often situational, dependent on money resources available to each player and even where players happen to be situated on the board. When looking to deal, a player should attempt to bargain with another player who not only possess properties he or she needs but also properties the other player needs themself.

In fact, offering relatively fair deals to other players can end up helping the player making the offer by giving him or her a reputation as an honest broker, which can make players less wary of dealings in the future. What is more, most people play Monopoly with the same group repeatedly. For this reason, such a reputation can have effects far beyond the game being played. The end game One common criticism of Monopoly is that it has carefully defined yet almost unreachable termination conditions. Edward P. Parker, a former president of Parker Brothers, is quoted as saying, "We always felt that forty-five minutes was about the right length for a game, but Monopoly could go on for hours. Also, a game was supposed to have a definite end somewhere. In Monopoly you kept going around and around." However, the problem of time can be resolved by playing with a time limit and counting each player's net worth when the time is up. In fact, tournament play calls for a 90-minute time limit. Two hour time limits are used for international play. The Lord of the Rings edition gives players the option of creating a random time limit using the included One Ring token and specialized dice.

Played strictly to the rules, many games will be effectively decided when one player succeeds in bankrupting another because the bankrupt player gives all his property to the one to whom he could not pay his debt. A player who thus gains a fistful of properties will virtually control the game from that point onwards since other players will be constantly at risk. On the other hand, if a player is bankrupted by being unable to meet his debt to the bank (e.g., a fine or tax or other debt that is not rent), then his property is auctioned off; this can open up new possibilities in a game which was evenly set or in which a lot of property sets were divided among the players. Another path to a faster ending is by a key property bargain, whether it be a very shrewd trade which sets one player up with a well-positioned set or a very rash trade where an inexperienced player gives his experienced opponent an underpriced gem. Either way, a deal which pays off for one player is most often the turning point of the game.

A third way to finish the game, though not the fastest, is to jot down important information (like property, money, and spaces the pieces are on), then put that in the box with the game to finish at a later date. Hasbro states that the longest game of Monopoly ever played lasted 1,680 hours (70 days). Add-ons Numerous official and unofficial add-ons have been made for Monopoly, both before its commercialization and after. The best-known expansion to the game is the Stock Exchange Add-On, published by Parker Brothers in 1936 ( wikibook). The Stock Exchange add-on was later redesigned and rereleased in 1992 under license by Chessex, this time including a large number of new Chance and Community Chest cards. In the Stock Exchange add-on, the Free Parking square is replaced with the Stock Exchange. The add-on also contained three each of Chance and Community Chest cards directing the player to advance to the Stock Exchange. The 1992 add-on also included seven other Chance cards and eight Community Chest cards (to play with the 1992 add-on, one Community Chest card - "From sale of stock you get $45" - is removed).

The add-on also included thirty stock certificates, five for each of the six different stocks, differing only in its purchase price, ranging from $100 to $150. Shares, like properties, can be considered to be tradeable material, and could also be mortgaged for half their purchase price. Shareholders could increase the value of their shares by buying up more of the same company's shares. When a player moves onto Free Parking, stock dividends are paid out to all players with any unmortgaged shares. The amount to be paid out to each player is determined based on the number and kind of shares owned. Specifically, a player receives dividends from each stock based on the following mathematical formula: (purchase price of share / 10) × (number of shares owned)2 The player who lands on Free Parking can also choose to buy a share if any remain – should the player decline, the Bank auctions a share off to the highest bidder. The 1936 rules are ambiguous with regards to the stock that is put up for auction, and convention has it that the winner of the auction chooses the stock to be received.

The Stock Exchange add-on serves to inject more money into the game, in a similar manner to railroad properties, as well as changing the relative values of properties. In particular, the Yellow and Green properties are more valuable due to the increased chance of landing on Free Parking, at the expense of the Light Purple and Orange groups. A Monopoly Stock Exchange Edition was released in 2001, this time adding an electronic calculator-like device to keep track of the complex stock figures. This was a full edition, not just an add-on, that came with its own board, money and playing pieces. Properties on the board were replaced by companies on which shares could be floated, and offices and home offices (instead of houses and hotels) could be built. "Playmaster", another add-on, kept track of all player movement and dice rolls as well as what properties are still available. It then uses this information to call random auctions and mortgages that will be advantageous for some players and a punishment for others, making it easier to free up cards of a colour group. It also plays eight short tunes when key game functions occur, for example when a player lands on a railroad it will play I've Been Working on the Railroad.

Spinoffs Monopoly Tycoon is a PC game in the Tycoon series that makes strategy and speed into determining factors for winning the game, eliminating completely the element of luck inherent in the dice rolls of the original. The game uses the U.S. standard Atlantic City properties as its basis, but the game play is unique to this version. The game also allows for solo and multiplayer online games. Parker Brothers has also sold several games which are spinoffs of Monopoly. These are not add-ons as they don't function as an addition to the Monopoly game, but are simply additional games in the flavor of Monopoly. Monopoly Junior board game, a simplified version for young children Advance to Boardwalk board game Express Monopoly, a card game released by Hasbro/Parker Brothers and Waddingtons in the UK in the 1990s, now out of print. Monopoly: The Card Game, an updated card game released by Winning Moves Games under license from Hasbro. Free Parking card game Monopoly/Official Rules - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Monopoly/Official Rules Preparation[ edit ] To begin with, each player selects a token.

Then they place their token on the table near Go, placing it on Go only when his/her first turn to move arrives. One player becomes the Banker, who distributes assets from the Bank to the players. Only the player in question can use their money, money can only be lent via the Banker or by the player mortgaging an asset, money cannot be lent by another player. Each player receives two $500, two $100, two $50, six $20, five $10, five $5, and five $1. Each player thus begins the game with $1500. The Bank begins the game with 32 houses and 12 hotels. It never runs out of money; if it runs out of bills, players can use any convenient items as substitutes until the Bank gets enough money. "General"[ edit ] On a player's turn, he or she must roll the dice and move his or her token forward the number of spaces as rolled on the dice. If the player lands on an unowned property, he or she may buy it for the price listed on that property's space.

If he or she agrees to buy it, he or she pays the Bank the amount shown on the property space and receives the deed for that property. If he or she refuses to buy it for the amount stated on the deed, the property is auctioned. Bidding must start at half of the price of the property, and all players may bid. The highest bidder wins the property and pays the Bank the amount bid and receives the property's title deed. Railroads and utilities are also considered properties. If the player lands on an unmortgaged property owned by another player, he or she pays rent to that person, as specified on the property's deed. It is the property owner's responsibility to demand rent, and he or she has until the beginning of the second following player's turn to do so. If the player lands on his or her own property, or on property which is owned by another player but currently mortgaged, nothing happens. If the player lands on Luxury Tax/Super Tax, he or she must pay the Bank $100 (in some editions of the game, only $75).

If the player lands on Income Tax he or she must pay the Bank either $200 or 10% of his or her total assets (cash on hand, property, houses and hotels). In some editions of the game, this is a flat rate of $200. If the player lands on a Chance or Community Chest, the player takes a card from the top of the respective pack and performs the instruction given on the card. If the player lands on the Jail space, he or she is "Just Visiting". No penalty applies. If the player lands on the Go to Jail square, he or she must move his token directly to Jail . If the player lands on or passes Go in the course of his or her turn, he or she receives $200 from the Bank. A player has until the beginning of his or her next turn to collect this bonus. If a player does not have sufficient funds to pay off a rent or fee, he or she may take a loan from the Bank by mortgaging one or more properties, sell houses back to the Bank for half the purchase price or sell property deeds to other players in the game.

Players may not loan money to other players, only the Bank can loan money, This loan must be paid in full including any other debt owed to the Bank before the player advances to Go → or the player will be determined bankrupt. If a player skips another player's turn and is caught, the turn is transferred back to the player whose turn was skipped. Doubles[ edit ] When doubles are rolled, the player moves the number indicated by the dice, then rolls the dice again. The player moves forward as directed by the dice, and if this was doubles, rolls again. After the third roll of doubles, rather than landing on the square the dice led you to, you immediately go to jail and thus do not enact the appropriate action of landing on that square. If you roll doubles and land on somebody else's property you still have to pay rent. Properties, Rents, and Construction[ edit ] If a player lands on property he may buy it at the listed price. If the player refuses to buy it, the Bank sells it at auction to the highest bidder. Any player, including the one who refused to buy it in the first place, may bid on the property. Properties are arranged in "color groups" of two or three properties.

Once a player owns all properties of a color group (a monopoly), the rent is now doubled on all unimproved lots of that color group, even if some of the properties are mortgaged to the Bank. The player may purchase up to four houses or one hotel per property (and only if there are properties to hold the houses), which raise the rents that must be paid when other players land on the property. The properties in a color group must be developed evenly, i.e. each house that is built must go on a property in the group with the fewest number of houses on it so far. You cannot buy houses if you are not on the property. If you sell your property to another player you the one who sold it doesn't need to pay the buyer if you land on it. A hotel may be built on a color group only after all properties in the group have four houses. A player purchases a hotel by paying the price of an additional house, and returning the four houses on that property to the Bank in exchange for a hotel.

If there are not enough houses in the Bank for a player to build four houses on each property before building a hotel, the player may not skip directly to buying a hotel by paying the full price at one go. If a property is owned by a player and another player lands on the property and the owner does not realize it before the second following player rolls the dice then the player does not have to pay the owner. At any time a player may, to raise cash, sell hotels and houses back to the Bank for half of the purchase price of the houses. Also, properties with no houses or hotels may be mortgaged for half of the property price. A property does not collect rent while mortgaged and may not be developed. To de-mortgage a property a player must pay interest of 10% in addition to the mortgage price. Whenever a mortgaged property changes hands between players, either through a trade, sale or by bankruptcy, the new owner must immediately pay 10% interest on the mortgage and at their option may pay the principal or hold the property. If the player holds the property and later wishes to lift the mortgage they must pay the 10% interest again as well as the principal.

Sharing the ownership of any property is not allowed. Railroad[ edit ] The rent a player owes for landing on a railroad varies with the number of railroads that are owned. The rent is as follows: Charge $25 if one owned, $50 if two owned, $100 if three owned, $200 if all owned. Utility Rent[ edit ] For utilities, after a player lands on one to owe rent, the rent is 10 times the amount rolled if the both are owned, or 4 times if not. One player does not have to possess both in order for the rent to be 10 times the amount. Property Values Table[ edit ] Monopoly Rules - Go, Jail, Income Tax Property Improvements | Wheeling and Dealing | Debt and Bankruptcy | Variations | History | Conclusions Monopoly: Go, Jail, Income Tax Whenever you land on or pass GO you receive $200. This is one of the main ways that the bank infuses money into the game. $200 is no mean amount in Monopoly. It can buy 4 houses on the cheap properties or one house on Boardwalk.

You can get to GO by the usual movement or by drawing a specific card in Chance or Community Chest. Overall, without the income from passing GO the game would take a lot longer to build to its final phases. Four squares past GO lies the dreaded "Income Tax" square. Like real life it can be an onerous drain on your financial resources. It basically comes to 10 percent of everything you own or $200 whichever is less. If your strategy is working when you land on this square you will generally be forced to fork over the $200 you got for passing GO - which is included in calculating the tax, by the way, no matter where you started your turn. You are required by the rules to decide whether to pay the $200 or the ten percent of all your assets before you tally your assets. For this reason you should always have a pretty good idea of your financial position. "Go to Jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200." This series of phrases long ago entered the American lexicon. You often hear it when someone receives a sudden minor setback in a sports game or in life.

In the actual game of Monopoly landing on "Go to Jail" can indeed be a minor setback, or it could be a godsend. A player can be sent to Jail in any one of three ways: land on the "Go to Jail" square, draw a Chance or Community Chest card directing him to go there, or roll doubles three times. On the third double the move is NOT completed, but the player goes "directly" to Jail. If you land on the Jail square itself, you are "just visiting". It is kind of a free space (like "Free Parking"). There are some general misconceptions about going to Jail. First, a player sent to Jail may still collect rents on his or her property and may even do property improvements on his or her turn. The average sentence to Jail is 3 turns. The player rolls the dice every turn to see if he or she gets doubles. Doubles gets the player out early (without paying the $50 fine), and he or she must move the number rolled on the dice. The player may pay $50 BEFORE his or her dice roll to get out. At the end of three turns the player MUST pay the fine and MUST leave Jail.

Early in the game when property is being purchased, if sent to Jail, get out as soon as possible to get back into the buying action. But after the property is bought up, it is generally best to remain in Jail as long as possible, as you still collect rents, and can trade and make improvements. At the same time, being in Jail, you are not wandering around the board where you are likely to land on the improved properties of others. In Monopoly players are sent to Jail fairly frequently. All these trips to jail actually make the orange property group one of the most desirable on the board. New York Avenue, Tennessee Avenue, and St. James Place, if improved can garner considerable income from players just released from Jail. The chances of any roll landing on one of these three properties from Jail is 38%. This is better than a 1/3 of the time. By the same token, the "Go to Jail" square is going to prevent a certain number of players from moving down the expensive side of the board.

Question: In ‘Monopoly’, what is the first non-property square after ‘Go’?
Answer: COMMUNITY CHEST