Monopoly

Rules
Commonly missed rules
This section will list some of the most commonly missed or incorrectly interpreted rules of Monopoly.

Buildings
 There are just 32 houses and 12 hotels in a full set of Monopoly, if there were any more, the balance of the
game would be affected. It would be very difficult to bankrupt opponents.
 Once the 32 houses or 12 hotels have all been purchased, no more can be acquired. This rule can be used by
some players to get an advantage, if they buy the last house, they know no more building can occur.
 When houses or hotels are sold back to the bank, you only get half what you paid for them.
 Buildings can be bought or sold, and other business can be conducted, at any time, between rolls of the dice.
When transactions are being made, a brief pause should be observed.
 You must build evenly, if you have two houses on Park Place, you can have no more than three houses on
Boardwalk.

Auctions
 If you land on a property that you do not wish to buy, the bank immediately puts that property up for auction.
All players can bid in the auction; the property is sold to the highest bidder.

Chance and Community Chest Cards

 Once a Chance or Community Chest card has been drawn, it is placed, face down at the bottom of the pack. The
pack is never reshuffled during a game.
 It can often throw up some interesting situations, knowing that the "Street Repairs" card is coming up soon,
when the board is loaded with houses and hotels, can be pretty scary!

Income Tax
 Income Tax is calculated, taking into account all of your assets. So property and buildings are counted, not just
cash on hand.
 You must decide whether you are going to pay 10% or $200 before you total your assets.

The Bank
 The bank cannot pay players for anything, other than houses and hotels, and that is only half of the purchase
price.
 The bank cannot loan money, except when a player wishes to mortgage property, and 10% interest is due on
that loan, (see Mortgages).
 If a player owes the bank more than his/her assets, the player is declared bankrupt, and the bank must
immediately auction that player's property.

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Mortgages
 When a property is un-mortgaged, 10% interest is paid to the bank.
 If you are the new owner of mortgaged property, you must immediately pay the mortgage price and 10%
interest to the bank.
 If you do not un-mortgage the property straight away, you still have to pay the 10% of the mortgage value. If at
a later time, you un-mortgage the property, you still have to pay the mortgage value plus the 10% interest.
 As an example:
Boardwalk is mortgaged, mortgage value is $200.
If you are the new owner, you must pay $220, this un-mortgages the property.
If you do not un-mortgage instantly, you must pay 10% of the mortgage value, i.e. $20. Later you have to pay
$220 to un-mortgage the property. Total cost = $240.

Debt
 Once your assets are down to zero (or less than), you are declared bankrupt and you are out of the game. You
can't go into debt.

Jail
 A player can collect rent and conduct business while in jail.
 If you fail to roll doubles three times in a row, you have to pay the $50, or use a "Get out of jail free" card if you
have one.

Trades
 Players cannot lend money to one another, or transfer houses between properties. They can however, buy and
sell anything else. Property, cash and "get out of jail free" cards can be traded, with the seller getting whatever
they can for assets.

Free Parking and GO

 Nothing happens when you land on "Free Parking", no money or property is collected.
 You do not collect $400 for landing on GO, instead you earn the normal $200.

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Rules FAQ
1. Must I go around the board once before purchasing property?
No. You may begin purchasing property with the first available space you land on.

2. May I collect rent while in Jail?

Yes. You may collect rent and conduct business as usual while in Jail.

3. Do I get money for landing on Free Parking?

No. If you land on Free Parking, you receive no money, property or reward of any kind.

4. If I own all the properties of one colour group, may I put three houses on only one property?
No. Remember to build evenly at all times. You may not put more than one house on any property of a colour
group until each property of that group has at least one house on it.

5. Must I wait until my turn to buy houses and hotels?

No. You may transact business - such as buying and selling houses - any time on your turn or between moves by
other players.

6. May I mortgage a piece of property to buy other properties, houses or hotels?

Yes. You may mortgage property to buy houses, hotels or other properties of any colour group.

7. Common points relating to mortgaging:

 Even after one or more lots of a complete colour group have been mortgaged, you may still collect double rent
on the un-mortgaged lots of that group.
 If you own all four railroads and mortgage one or more of them, you may still collect $200 rent when an
opponent lands on an un-mortgaged railroad

8. Don't forget:
 Whenever a card directs you to advance to any space, move forward, not backward.
 When assessed for street repairs, pay for all houses and hotels you own on the entire board at that time.
 If you pass GO after drawing a Chance or Community Chest card directing you to move to another property,
you collect $200, unless otherwise indicated on the card.
 When you pass GO, land on Community Chest or Chance and are then sent to Jail, you may still collect $200
because you passed GO before you were sent to Jail.
 The Income Tax is 10 percent of your total assets: cash on hand, property, houses and hotels.

9. Are deals allowed between players?

Yes. Unimproved properties, railroads, and utilities (but not buildings) may be sold to any player as a private
transaction for any amount that the owner can get.

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10. May I borrow money from another player?
No. You may borrow money only from the Bank.

11. Why does my set have only 32 houses?

To maintain a balance in the game, there have always been exactly 32 houses and 12 hotels in the Monopoly game.
If it were possible to improve all properties, it would be difficult to force opponents into bankruptcy.

12. May I make my own rules?

Some people play the Monopoly game according to what are called "house rules." A common example is placing
Luxury Tax money on Free Parking. The official Parker Brothers rules - which are followed in tournament play - do
not allow such variations.

13. What if the Bank runs out of money?

Some players think the Bank is bankrupt if it runs out of money. The Bank never goes bankrupt. To continue
playing, use slips of paper to keep track of each player's transactions - until the bank has enough paper money to
operate again. The Banker may also issue "new" money slips of ordinary paper.

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Rules variants
Increase movement options
Dice choice
 A player must roll two dice on his turn, but may select any two dice from a set of four sided, six sided, eight
sided, and ten sided dice.

Dice control
 A player may choose to roll only one die on his or her turn rather than two. If a player rolls a one, he or she
must go directly to jail.

Travelling railroads (recommended variant)

 Whenever a player lands on a railroad, the player may choose to move his or her token to any other
railroad owned by the same player.
 The player must pay rent even if he or she does not travel. A player may travel on his or her own railroads,
for free of course.
 A player may not travel on unowned railroads.
 Travel is across the board, so a player does not get $ 200 for passing Go when he or she travels across
railroads.
 The owner of the railroads may not prevent the player from travelling.
 A player may travel to or from a mortgages railroad.
 Variant:
o The owner may disallow a player from travelling on his or her railroads if the owner refuses to take
the rent from the player landing on it.
o The owner must decide to disallow travel before the player is required to specify his or her
destination.
o The owner must allow travel from a mortgaged railroad.

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Increase development options
Double hotels
 Players may build up to two hotels on a property. Rent must be paid on all buildings on a property.
 After a player has raised a hotel on a property, he or she may purchase up to four more houses on that
property and then may purchase a second hotel for that property.
 A player may not have more than four houses on a property.

Free market
 Players may build houses on any property they own, even if they do not have a complete set.
 If a player lands on a property, which has been improved, they can either pay what the owner asks, up to a
maximum of the normal amount required, or they may instead pay rent to any other owner of one the
other properties in the group, paying whatever rent that owner requests.
 If the player chooses to pay a different owner, including his or her property in the group, then the player
also moves his or her token to that property.
 A player may not switch to a different property in the group if the property is not improved, nor may he or
she switch to a property owned by the bank. If a player owns all of the properties in a group, he or she can
charge the maximum rent allowed, and the player landing on his or her properties may not switch to a
different property in the same group. When a player owns two properties in a three-property group, he or
she must improve those two properties evenly. If a player acquires all the properties in a group, he or she
must rectify the number of houses on each property so that the number of houses meet the even building
rule.

Instant hotels
 A player may purchase hotels for one of his or her monopolies at the cost of five houses, less any houses
already owned, even if there are not enough houses for each property on the group to own four.

Partnerships
 Two or more players may agree to form a partnership with a property group in which they have a monopoly
between them. Each partner may then purchase houses or hotels for the property they own as long as they
follow rules for building evenly. A player may leave the partnership between dice rolls, forcing all players in
the partnership to sell all of their buildings.

Six railroads (recommended variant)

 The two utilities are treated like additional railroads. They cost $200 to buy and can be mortgaged for $100.
The rent for five railroads is $300 and for six railroads is $400.

Uneven buildings (recommended variant)

 Once a monopoly is gained, the owner is allowed to build houses or hotels on the monopoly in any way he
chooses.

Non-monopoly building (recommended variant)

 You may build houses on properties for which you do not own all the properties of a set, but the houses cost
double their normal price.  If you sell them back to the bank, you still only get half of their normal cost.

Unlimited housing
 There is no limit to the number of houses and hotels in the game.

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Flexible negotiations
Immunity (highly recommended variant)
 A player may grant full or partial immunity from paying rent on one or more of his or her properties as part of
negotiations. The details of the immunity are up to the players involved in the trade.
 Immunity does not transfer with the property if it is traded. A player who has granted immunity to another
player and then trades the property away and then later trades to get it back still must honor the original
immunity given.

Loans (highly recommended variant)

 A player may loan another player money or property at any agreed upon rate or with any agreed upon
provisions.

Profit sharing (recommended variant)

 Two or more players may agree to split the rent from a property or set of properties.
 Like Immunity, Profit Sharing does not transfer with the property if it is traded. A player who has granted
profit sharing to another player and then trades the property away and then later trades to get it back still
must honor the original profit sharing plan.

Balance the game

Bank repossession (recommended variant)
 When a player is bankrupted by debts to another player, the debtor must mortgage all his or her properties,
pay the creditor as much as possible, and then return all of the debtor’s properties to the bank. These
properties are then available for purchase by other players as usual.
 As with the normal rules, the debtor may not sell or trade any of his or her properties unless it gives enough
money to pay the debt. The original rules also state that property acquired by the bank due to a player
becoming bankrupted must be auctioned off immediately, but in this rule, this auction does not occur, and
players must land on the properties in question to be able to purchase them.

Double prices (highly recommended variant)

 All property costs twice the face value.
 Mortgage values remain the same, as do all other values.
Variations: If the player landing on the property does not end up buying it, he or she gets a “finder’s fee” of
%10 of the sale cost.

Maximum punishment (highly recommended variant)

 A player in Jail may not collect rent, buy buildings, participate in any auctions, or mortgage property. He or she
may only make trades with another player in Jail or any player at Just Visiting.
 Variations: A player may pay $100 immediately upon reaching jail to be placed in Just Visiting, and thus avoid
a turn in jail. Good lawyers are expensive.

Option to auction
 Whenever a player lands on an unpurchased property, any other player can immediately start an auction for
that property by bidding twice the normal purchase price.

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Initial auction
 Before the game begins, everyone writes down how much they will pay for every property on the board in a
closed auction. This can be done independently, before even gathering to play. The game then begins by
checking everyone’s bids and selling the properties to the highest bidder for each property, with ties broken by
die roll. In this variation, start the game with more money: $10,000 divided by the number of players should be
about right.

Tax man
 The bank gets a token known at the “tax man” and a player will roll the dice for the bank on it’s turn. If it lands
on any owned property, the owner pays the bank the amount that would normally be charged in rent. The tax
man ignores the normal meaning of any other square, including “Go to Jail”.

Facilitate the game

Honest game (highly recommended variant)
 Players must always pay rent, even if the owner does not ask.

Closed auction (recommended variant)

 All auctions are done by players writing down a bid and then showing in unison.

Vickrey auction (recommended variant)

 All auctions are done by players writing down a bid and then showing in unison. The highest bidder pays the
amount that the second highest bidder bid.

Minimum bid
 Any new bid in an open auction must be at least $10 more than the previous bid.

Sudden death
 Before the game begins, one player is secretly and randomly determined to be the “Angel of Death”. This can be
done by having one slip of paper put into a hat for each player, with a star on one of them, and then each player
draws a slip. The Angel of Death player has the option, once the game has been played for two hours, of
smashing the board and declaring the game over without any winner. The Angel of Death may only do so if he
or she is still in the game.

Allow many players

Double board
 Two boards, such as a standard board and an English board, have either Free Parking or Go overlapping.
Players go around both boards in a figure eight pattern. When a player lands on the overlapping space, he or
she may choose which board to enter next. When a player is sent to jail, he or she is sent to the jail on the board
that they were occupying before going to jail.
 A player advancing to a named property as per instructions on a card may pass Go twice, collecting $400.
 Variations: Cards which affect all players or all properties, such as “pay all players $50” or “building repairs”,
only affect the properties and the players on the same board as the affected player.

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First to go
 Players may not purchase properties until one player has passed Go.

Order auction
 Before the game begins, players bid for the right to go first. The order of play is based upon the amount of
money bid.

Start at corners (recommended variant)

 Players put their tokens at the four corners of the board rather than Go as their starting positions. The player
on “Go to Jail” does not. Players should be spread evenly to all the corners, and which player starts at which
corner should be determined randomly.

Increase money supply

Bank loans
 A player without an outstanding loan may at any time take out a $500 loan from the bank. Every time the
player passes Go he or she only receives $100, the other $100 remaining in the bank as interest. The loan may
be repaid any time after the player has passed Go and given the bank interest at least once.
 If a player bankrupts the debtor, he or she inherits that debt, unless the “Bank Repossession” rule is used, in
which case the bank dissolves the debt.

Double salary
 A player who lands on Go gets $400 rather than $200.
 Players who pass Go only get the usual $200.
 Variations: Some people pay $500, so they don’t need to make change.  Some people pay $686, one bill of each
denomination.

Free parking jackpot

 $500 is placed in the middle of the board at the start of the game. Any time a player must pay a fine or tax the
money also is put in the middle of the board. Whenever a player lands on Free Parking, he or she gets the
money in the middle.
 The $500 is not replaced after the jackpot is first taken. It is only for the first lucky player to land there.
 Variations: Play without the $500 jackpot, or with only $50 which is replaced every time a player lands there.
Some players only put Luxury Tax money there.  Note: This is the most common home rule that people play,
and there are lots of variations on it.  Some have more money, some have less, but there are so many ways it is
done, I can’t list them all.

Dice roll bonuses

 Rolling double ones (“Snake Eyes”) earns a $500 bonus.  Rolling double sixes (“Box Cars”) also earns a $500
bonus.
 Yes, as a child, this seemed like a good idea.  Yes, our games lasted forever.

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Miscellaneous
Doubling up
 Only one token may be on a square at a time, except on Go and Jail. When a player’s token lands on a space
already occupied by another player, the player moves his or her token backwards to Go and his or her turn is
over. No money is collected for moving backwards to Go.

Foreclosure
 When a player lands on a mortgaged property, the owner may immediately unmortgage the property by paying
the mortgage value plus %10 interest. If the owner does not do this, the player may purchase it by paying the
player the mortgage value and the bank the mortgage value plus the %10 interest. Either way the player still
pays no rent.

No mortgaging (recommended variant)

 You cannot mortgage property.  You are allowed to sell property back for half the printed purchase price.

Optional draw
 When a player lands on Chance or Community Chest, drawing a card is optional.

Two tokens
 Each player has two tokens, and alternates which token is moved each turn.

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