How Do You Win Monopoly? A Complete Strategy Guide

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Bankrupt your friends quickly with these winning Monopoly tricks

Co-authored by Our Family Plays Games and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: December 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Monopoly is one of the great classic board games where you try to earn the most money and bankrupt your friends. While there is a lot of luck involved in Monopoly, there are still a lot of things you can plan out so you’re more likely to win the game. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through strategy tips for how to win a game of Monopoly so you can crush your opponents.

How to Win Monopoly: Best Strategies

A player wins Monopoly when every other player goes bankrupt (or, in other words, when everyone runs out of cash). To win Monopoly, focus on securing a monopoly and building houses as quickly as possible rather than being too concerned about saving money. The most successful properties are the reds and the oranges.

1

Buy a lot of properties early in the game.

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Owning properties means you can charge rent sooner. As soon as you start playing Monopoly, try to buy up any property spaces that you land on and can afford. That way, your opponents don’t have a chance to buy them, and they have to pay you money if they land on the space.^{[1]
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- Avoid saving your money or waiting until you've landed on Boardwalk to buy properties because it’ll put you at a disadvantage.

2

Prioritize getting orange and red properties.

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The orange and red properties are landed on the most. Jail is the most landed-on space, so many players will land on the orange properties (St. James Place, NY Avenue, and Tennessee Ave.) and red properties (Illinois Ave, Kentucky Ave, and Indiana Ave) on their next roll. Try to get these properties if you’re able to force players to pay you rent and spend their money.^{[2]
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- Illinois Avenue is the most common property to land on during a game of Monopoly.

3

Use auctions to buy properties for cheap.

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Auctions make getting properties easier even if you don’t land on them. If a player doesn’t want to buy an unowned property, then immediately start an auction to sell it. Anyone, including the person who landed on the space, can bid any amount for the property, and whoever bids the highest wins it. Try to get into the auction early with a low bid to see if you win it. Even if another player bids against you, you can drive up the price and make them spend more money than they wanted.^{[3]
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- If you see an opponent working towards a particular monopoly, take any opportunity that you get to buy the properties they want. If multiple players already own a property of the same color, they're already blocking each other. Turn your attention to other properties on the board instead.

4

Create monopolies as fast as possible.

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A monopoly lets you charge double the rent on those properties. Owning all the properties of the same color creates a monopoly, and it can help you take more money from other players. Try not to leave open spaces in a color group for others to buy if you’re able to. If no other player owns property in a color group, then it’s a good strategy to purchase it.
- When you have a monopoly, you also have the chance to build houses and hotels to increase rent even more.
- Holding a monopoly also greatly enhances your bargaining power during property trades made at later times in the game.
- While Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue are cheap, they are the least likely to land on because they’re so close to Go. It doesn’t hurt to get these properties, but try to prioritize the other monopolies between the Jail and Go to Jail spaces.

5

Invest in all 4 railroad spaces.

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Railroads are a good investment if you own all of them. The railroad spaces are in the middle space on each side of the board, and their rent charge goes up if you own multiple. While your main focus should be on getting properties, pick up the railroads if they’re unowned when you land on their spaces for a little extra income.^{[4]
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- If you see another player already going for all the railroads, then don’t be afraid to purchase one to block them from having a railroad monopoly. You can also trade it later in the game to get more money from a player who wants it.

6

Pass on buying the Utilities spaces.

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Utility spaces are rarely landed on and not worth the price. Because there are only 2 Utility spaces on the board, there's only a slim chance that other players are going to land on them. If you land on these spaces, it’s usually a smarter strategy to save your money for buying other properties or building on the ones you own.

7

Negotiate trades for properties.

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Trading can be a great way to gain or sell properties for cash. If you see that your opponent has a property that you need to create a monopoly, look at what you have to offer them. You can try trading them for cash if they’re willing to sell it to you, or you can offer them a property that they need for a weaker monopoly on the board.^{[5]
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- Before you make a deal, decide whether or not it will be advantageous and earn you more money in the long run of the game. For example, it may be worth trading a purple property for an orange property if it helps you complete the orange Monopoly.

8

Rush to build 3 houses on your properties.

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The rent increases drastically after building the third house. Start building houses as soon as you get a monopoly because they charge more rent for the other players. As you add the third house to a property, the rent jumps in price by a lot more than if you only had 1 or 2 houses, which can get you a lot of extra income.^{[6]
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- Make sure to save some money for expenses such as rent on other properties, utilities, and luxury tax. If possible, wait until you pass the part of the board where your opponents don’t have as many pieces to build
- Remember that you have to build houses on a monopoly evenly, meaning that all the properties must have 1 house before you can add a second or third one.

9

Keep houses instead of upgrading to hotels.

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Building houses on your properties stops other players from taking them. There are only 32 houses in a game of Monopoly, so hoarding all of them on your properties prevents other players from building and increasing their rent. While switching to hotels will increase the rent prices, you give the houses back to your opponent to use.^{[7]
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- If you’re near the end of the game and the cost of rent from a hotel could cause a player to go bankrupt, then it’s okay to upgrade your houses.

10

Build just before your opponent’s move.

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Increasing rent suddenly puts pressure on other players. You’re allowed to build houses and hotels at any point during the game, even if it’s not your turn. If you notice your opponent is near one of your monopolies on the board, then quickly place some houses down so they have to pay a higher price than they were expecting.^{[8]
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11

Mortgage properties to build on others.

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Mortgaging weaker properties gives you instant cash to spend. Mortgaging allows you to get a big influx of money that you can use right away. If you see that your opponents are low on money and they’re near monopolies you own, mortgage one of your other properties to get some building money and add houses. That way, your opponent has to pay more rent and will go bankrupt sooner.^{[9]
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Research source} Keep in mind the following when mortgaging your property:
- Mortgage single properties that you own first. Don't mortgage a property from a group where you own 2 or more properties unless it's absolutely necessary.
- Keep in mind that mortgaged properties don’t charge rent, so players can land on those places for free. You can always pay the mortgage cost plus 10% to rebuy the properties again.

12

Stay in Jail once all the properties are bought.

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Sitting in Jail keeps you from paying rent on expensive properties. If you land in Jail early in the game, use a Get Out of Jail Free card or pay a $50 fine so you can keep moving around the board and buying properties. Once most of the properties are owned and built later in the game, waiting in the Jail space keeps you from spending money. Simply roll the dice and stay in Jail until you roll doubles or until you’ve paid the fine after 3 turns.^{[10]
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- While you’re in Jail, you’re still able to collect rent on the properties you own, so you can still get paid.

13

Force players to pay rent in cash.

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Players will have to mortgage or sell properties to have enough money. Some players may try to offer properties as a trade to cover their rent, but be strict when you ask for cash. This forces players to sell buildings or mortgage their properties, which stops them from collecting as much money.^{[11]
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- If players don’t have enough cash even after mortgaging properties, then they go bankrupt and lose the game.

14

Recognize that 7 is the most common dice roll.

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Knowing common dice rolls helps you predict where players will land. Because you’re always rolling 2 dice, 7 is the most common roll on any given turn, and 2 and 12 are the least probable. Most of the time, it takes 5 or 6 dice rolls to circle the board once. Because 28 of the 40 spaces are property spaces, you will likely land on four of those 28 property spaces during a lap around the board.^{[12]
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- You've got a 17% chance of rolling doubles on any given roll. You will likely roll a pair of doubles one out of every six rolls. During the average circuit around the board, you will maybe roll doubles once.

15

Learn the Chance and Community Chest cards.

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Chance and Community Chest cards may force you to move or pay. There are 16 Chance cards and 16 Community Chest cards, and each deck has 2 spaces on the board. While these cards aren’t major issues during the game, it’s still good to know what potential effects they have.^{[13]
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- Chance cards: 10 Chance cards require you to move to a different space on the board, 2 cards reward you money, and 2 cards are penalties that charge money. There is also a card that takes away money from building owners and one Get Out of Jail Free card.
- Community Chest cards: 9 cards give you money, 3 cards take money away, and 2 move you somewhere else on the board. There is also one card that charges building owners and one Get Out of Jail Free card.

What Are Ways To Make Monopoly More Fun?

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Can we play Monopoly faster?

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Expert Answer

Playing Monopoly faster is largely dependent on the individuals you play with. If your fellow players are eager to move quickly, the game will naturally progress at a faster pace. Conversely, if participants tend to take more time and engage in extensive analysis paralysis when deciding their moves, the game may proceed at a slower rate. Playing by yourself could potentially expedite the game, but when playing with others, the speed is contingent on their playing style and preferences.

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When I first started playing, I won almost every time. I would not be quick to spend money and I didn't have many monopolies. Lately, I've been advised to turn around all of my income and invest in houses. But this strategy has got me bankrupt every time, what is your recommendation?

Reece Orton

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Use your old strategy if your new strategy never works.

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How do I beat a really good player?!

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Learn from him. What makes him better? Are there patterns to his play? How does he play differently than you are playing?

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Tips

Always try to keep some money in your personal supply so you have enough to pay for rent, utilities, Chance cards, or Community Chest cards.

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Avoid playing the game with house rules, like being able to build houses on any space you land or collecting money when you land on Free Parking, because it can make the game go on longer.

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Keep your eyes out for if another player lands on a property you own. If the next player starts taking their turn without you catching them, then the player on your property doesn’t have to pay rent.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Form alliances temporarily to thwart frontrunners when needed. Ganging up briefly sidelines dominant players so you or allies can gain an advantage. Just don't trust they won't turn on you.
Buy early, buy often to control the board. The more properties you own, the more rent you collect and the faster you bankrupt opponents. Don't wait to spend money.
Estimate odds of drawing cards or landing on properties. Knowing probability of rewards or penalties prepares you for likely outcomes, both positive and negative.
Don't overvalue utilities, focus on property. Railroads offer better long-term payoff than utilities. The low odds of utility payouts make them poor investments.
Mortgage single properties first when cash-strapped. This avoids breaking up lucrative monopolies vital for consistent rent flow and trading leverage.
Stick to classic rules for best control over game play. House rules diminish predictability, dragging out games dependent more on luck than strategy.

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