DEV SITE

Everyone who has ever bought a Monopoly® game should have the rules, but because everyone seems to know about or have a game, very few actually sit down to read the rules. The rules are actually pretty clear, but a few get overlooked. Here are the ones that most folks don’t know about.

Buildings

There are 32 houses and 12 hotels in a Monopoly® set and that’s it. Once these are used up you cannot buy any more. This can be used to an advantage. If someone buys up the last of the houses than no more building can occur. This includes hotels.

When you sell houses or hotels back to the bank you only get half of what you paid for them.

You can buy and sell buildings, or conduct any other business, at any point in the game. You don’t have to wait for your turn. However, this business should be conducted between roles of the dice, with a brief “time out” being called.

Auctions

If you decide you do not want to buy a property you land on, it is immediately auctioned by the bank. One way or another the bank gets rid of it. Regardless of price, the property is sold to the highest bidder.

Cards

Once a “Chance” or “Community Chest” card is drawn, it is placed, face down, on the bottom of the deck (unless it is a “Get Out of Jail Free” card). The deck is never reshuffled during the game. It is fun when the cards have gone around once and you have an idea of what cards are coming up. This is especially true in the later stages of the game if you know one of the “building repair” cards are coming up and there are lots of houses and hotels about. Drawing cards then begins to resemble a game of Russian Roulette.

Income Tax

Income tax is calculated from total net worth, including property and buildings, not just cash on hand. You must decided whether to pay the 10% or the $200 before you count up what you have.

The Bank

The bank will not except anything from players except cash, houses, and hotels, with buildings worth only half their purchase price. Money can be raised by mortgaging properties. The bank cannot take back property. If a player happens to go bankrupt to the bank, the bank must immediately auction all of that player’s properties. The bank, or any other player, cannot loan money to another player.

Going Into Debt

Quite simply, You can’t! Once your assets are down to zero (or less) you are bankrupt and out of the game. You can get a “loan” from the bank in the form of mortgaging.

Jail

A player can collect rent or conduct any other business when in jail, just like Al Capone did.

If you do not roll doubles on your third turn in jail then you must pay the $50 fine.

Mortgages

When you bring property out of mortgage you must pay 10% interest.

If you obtain mortgage property from another player you must pay the 10% interest immediately, whether or not you take it out of mortgage. If you bring the property out of mortgage at a later time a further 10% is still applied. This additional interest can be avoided by bringing the properties out of mortgage immediately.

Trades

Under no circumstances can players loan money to each other, nor can houses or hotels be transferred from one player to another. Buildings must be sold back to the bank for one-half of their purchase price, and purchased by the other player at the appropriate value for the properties they will be built upon. Player are free to exchange properties (provided they do not contain buildings), cash or “Get Out of Jail Free” cards in trades. Players cannot trade “immunity” for fines when landing on other player’s properties.

Free Parking

Nothing happens on “Free Parking”. No money collects here. It’s exactly what the name says – free parking.

However, if you have the Stock Exchange option, Free Parking becomes the Stock Exchange.

GO

You do not get $400 if you land on “GO”. You just get your regular salary of $200.

The official Monopoly® rules sometimes get a bit mis-interpreted. Here are some of the more common rules that get overlooked and other items that aren’t specifically addressed in the rules.

Jail and doubles

If a player goes to jail his turn immediately ends even if doubles are rolled. You do not roll again under any circumstances.

If a player gets out of jail because doubles are rolled he does not go again. In a sense the “power” of the doubles is used up in saving you the $50 fine. The exception to this is when a player pays his $50 upon going to jail and then rolls doubles on his way out on his next turn. This is because as soon as you pay your fine you are out of jail and “just visiting” so the doubles are not necessary to get you out.

Income Tax

If a player passes GO and lands on income tax in a single turn his $200 GO money is included in his total worth.

Building Hotels

A player does not need to physically have four houses on each property in a colour group before he can buy hotels. However, there must exist enough houses in the bank in order for that person to do so. If there are not enough houses, the hotels cannot be bought.

Utilities

You do not role again when you land on a utility to determine the fine. The fine is base on “amount shown on dice”.

Quitting

If a player wishes to leave the game all assets are turned into the bank. The bank then auctions off any properties. Under no circumstances can a quitting player give over their assets to another player. Note, there is nothing to stop any player from selling their properties and any “Get Out of Jail Free” card to another player at any price (say $1) and then quitting. Remember, though that no player can give cash or buildings to another player, these go to the bank.

Mergers

Mergers are not allowed in the official rules yet there are players that will always insist upon them. If two players wish to begin playing together then have one quit as above and remove that player’s token. Players cannot simply combine their assets.

Immunity

Under no circumstances can a player offer immunity against rents to another player.

Watching your Properties

It is your responsibility to watch if someone lands on your property. If someone lands on your property you have until the end of the next player’s turn to notice it. This player’s turn ends when the player after him throws the dice.

Example: June lands on Park Place, which is owned by Bill. June plays dumb (which is what she shoud do) and passes the dice to Mary, who roles completes her turn and passes the dice to Paul. Before Paul roles Bill notices June on Park Place and announces such. Does June have to pay up? Yes. Bill has to the end of the next player’s turn to notice June. If Paul had rolled the dice, though, Mary’s turn would have ended and Bill would have been out of luck.

The rule works this way to prevent players from just quickly passing the dice on while the property owner sneezes.