Most Common Myths
About Monopoly Rules

The most common myth is that there are any variations on the rules!

I once started to play a game with my young nephews and was dismayed to find that they had been allowed to "enjoy" the game by being able to build houses on all properties that they had bought.

Yep right away when they only had one of the set, they could stick a house or even a hotel on it.

Dismayed is probably very much underplay of my emotions at the time, Christmas was ruined for that year - and the 5 years since.

Efforts to placate me that they were only 11 and 8 years old fell upon some very deaf (outraged) ears. I was accused, repeatedly, of being too strict and it was only to let them learn........

It is still brought up by both my nephews to this day.

But it got me thinking, are there accepted variations on the rules of monopoly?

It seems there are plenty, some of which I even believed were true, but none of which are officially in the rule book.

The once round the board rule. Genuinely thought this was true, I thought the idea was to let everyone have a similar chance to be first-round to start buying, but nope just like life some get to start before the rest who are all playing catch up!

Choosing not to buy a property, I have played many a game where we have all been trying to buy a certain location to make or break an opponent and someone else keeps landing on it and refuses to buy the damn thing!

Well, I did not know that all properties must then be put up for auction to force the sale. This would definitely make the game last for a much shorter period of time.

That rule would seriously impact on my gameplay and winning strategy, I like to grind my opponents down and win usually when they invoke the mercy rule and I end up winning by default.

If all property is in play from early on I could be in trouble! No more wars of attrition and games lasting months (we used to put assets in envelopes and write where we landed and who's turn it was to basically 'save' our game.

Other house rules I have allowed when playing with younger players (which do help them learn the game!) are usually evoked only when they are the ones benefiting from the windfall, often accidentally forgetting to benefit from them myself.

Double pay when landing on GO. I never allow adults to do this. In fact, I usually make them wait until their next turn to collect the money, after all, it clearly says "As you pass".

Collect money from "Free Parking" I will allow all fines and taxes to be gathered under the free parking square and if they land there they get to collect the cash.

I rarely remember to do this myself unless I am playing against my own daughter in which case I point out it is not a rule and if she wants to play with this option she gets to see me gather the money too.

No rent can be collected when you are in jail. Yes, it can. What you think you can get away with my money if I am serving time? I know people, you WILL pay me.

Properties are sold to the bank if you don't have enough cash, and depending on the age of the player it will be for the full value of mortgaged value. Nope, they belong to the player to whom you owe the money, I am pretty sure you can sell them to other players instead but it is not to the bank.

All of these extra rules are things that generally make the game last a long time and far longer than the makers intended but even with all these variations and the belief that the game is too long the Monopoly Classic Game remains one of the UK's most popular family board games.

But when you play in this house remember it is my rules.....GRRRR!