The right way to play Monopoly

How do you win Monopoly? And how do you keep it fun at the same time?

Is there a right way to play Monopoly?

Brian Valentine takes a stab at the answer — he was the United States representative to the 2015 World Monopoly championships, where he earned a third-place finish. As the above video shows, playing Monopoly right involves learning the rules all over again, processing key strategies, and, above all, valuing the people you play it with.

Valentine shares his knowledge about probability heat maps that show the likelihood of landing on a certain space, nuances of gameplay around houses and hotels, and even a few tips on making games fun instead of rancorous.

Further reading
There are tons of articles that break down the math of Monopoly. While it’s not the only ingredient to playing Monopoly right, it’s an important one. This Business Insider article by Walt Hickey is a great primer, and this Thrillist article by Daisy Barringer gives you even more tips.

If you really want to go deep on Monopoly championships, check out the Fandom history, including Valentine’s appearance in 2015.

Most top Monopoly players follow in the footsteps of Philip Orbanes, who’s written a few Monopoly books, including this guide. His general board game history book, The Game Makers, is a fun read (but not really about gameplay strategy).

[maezaranimations]

The only time when anyone ever read the instructions is when there was an argument.

[bean]

"What is the right way to play Monopoly?"

Me: You either clap or get clapped. Simple as that.

[jake_]

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." Plato.

So true.

[oyamatoayei]

I dont remember any 'true'
winner in my longlife game on playing monopoly, we just decided the winner is the one have most money when we are bored

[insertcoolnamehere]

The people/panel on the zoom call were so bland and it was pointless to even talk to them because none of them were at all interested in the game.

[jordynelliott]

House Rules: Flip the table if you sense you’re going bankrupt.

[maxpoggerman]

The only way monopoly games end is with tears and broken friendships.

[duchi]

If it doesn't destroy friendships
then you're playing Monopoly wrong

[caffeinatednation]

"How do you play monopoly?"

Me: By making up the rules as we go, going broke, attempting to cheat, asking why we've been playing for six hours and then finally frustratingly overthrowing the board.

[Chinguenguenza]

As a teen, my friends and I attempted playing Monopoly with real money. We scaled things down so no large sums were involved, but the money was real and it was changing ownership. It didn’t take long for real money to become real hatred, and later real violence.

[soundsgoodbro]

Me: “Yay I’m winning!”

My older brother: “EARTHQQQUAKE”

[raivenskye]

Whenever me and my friends play we end up haggling and doing something like, "I'll let you off on rent this once but you have to give me half price for the next 3 properties I land on"

[andrewgutmann]

“How do you play Monopoly correctly?”
“With honor.”

Me: Laughs in capitalism.

[Matthew-qxdh]

“You get to know people by playing monopoly”

Yeah, I never knew a board could make my friend John punch me for putting him in debt.

[hornylorney]

Cool video what was the point in including the 3 people who weren't even regular players let alone experts? Strange decision

[leeainsworth]

I’ve never finished a game of monopoly it always ends with the board being flipped...

[regine]

I when he talked about: how you get to know someone and see how they really are- just by playing monopoly. It’s actually very true

[glitchyx]

My family: NOOO YOU CAN'T JUST BUY EVERYTHING AND PUT HOTELS ON THEM TO TAKE ALL OUR MONEY AWAY

Me: Haha money go cha-ching

[bulman]

It’s so weird not seeing all London streets and stations on the Monopoly board. It took me a while to realise what was wrong when he was saying Boardwalk.

[ShoeibShargo]

Title: The right way to play monopoly
Video: Doesn't even mention about mortgage rules and all.