The Properties

The key to winning is to buy a lot of properties. Well, duh. But more than that, you should know what properties are worth it. At the beginning of the game, you should buy every thing you can possibly land on. The main colors you should have your eyes on are Orange and Red. Orange is the most landed on color, and Illinois Avenue (red) is the most landed on space. Do your best to trade for these properties. After Red, Yellow is landed on most often.

I try to get at least one property of each color so I have more bargaining power in trading. Of course, this is easier said than done, but it’s a good idea to keep in mind. Monopoly is a game of trade and to increase your odds of winning, you want to have the properties that your opponents want. Money should be spent so don’t hold it. Spend it on properties, unless you know you have a high risk of having to pay out that money to your opponent’s rent.

Are railroads worth owning? Yes, usually they are, especially if you can get at least three of them. They are landed on very often and you don’t need to build houses or hotels on them. However, don’t trade away valuable properties or a ton of cash just to get another railroad. In my experience, it’s usually not worth it, though you will need to use your best judgment considering everything that’s going on in the game. The B&O railroad is landed on the most.

The two utility properties are okay if you can get a hold of them, but they rarely make or break a game, so don’t put too much value on them. Same goes for the dark Purple properties next to the Go. Yes, they are cheap, but they’re also the least valuable property in the game, besides utilities. Get at least one of them to keep your opponents from getting a Monopoly, but besides that, don’t put too much focus on them.

As a general rule, the Light Blue, the Orange, the Yellow, and the Dark Blue properties offer the best value on their sides of the boards because they give higher rent for the same costs compared to their counterparts. However, be sure to consider the odds of landing on the space. If I had to choose between Red and Yellow, I’d usually go with Red, just because it is landed on so often. The overall three best monopolies to have are: Red, Orange, and Light Blue.

Houses & Hotels

Take a look at the stats on your properties. You’ll notice that the best bang for the buck on houses is to buy 3 of them. Only buy 4 houses or a hotel if you are sure you have the extra money.

The best places for you to build houses early in the game is on Orange and Light blue. Try to do it on Orange first, if possible, but starting off with Light Blue is good too.

There are 32 houses in Monopoly. Keep this number in mind. You will want to buy as many as you can afford so your opponents can’t buy as many.

General Tips

7 is the most rolled number. It is rolled 16.67% of the time. If I see an opponent is 7 spaces away from one of my monopolies, I may put an extra house on that space. Only do this is you can afford the spare cash. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and it’s hilarious when it works. Even if it doesn’t work, 6 and 8 are the second most rolled numbers (13.89% chance) so there’s a decent possibility they’ll hit one of your other properties.

Generally, if you don’t plan on creating a monopoly with it, then go ahead and mortgage a property. Use that money to buy an extra house on a monopoly you do have. Once you have a monopoly, you really want to take advantage of it, especially if you have one when your opponent doesn’t. Going for quick kills is essential. If you have an opportunity to bankrupt your opponent, don’t waste it. Don’t be a nice guy. Kick ass!

The #1 tip to become good at Monopoly is to PLAY MONOPOLY. The more you play, the more you’ll experience first-hand what works and what doesn’t. You’ll develop a feel and intuition for the game. Play online, play with computers, play with your friends and your family.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll win more games. For even more tips, check out Monopoly’s official web site.