With the most possibilities of dice combinations, 7 is the most common roll on any given turn, and 2 and 12 are the least probable. [1] X Research source 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. 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.
The single square most landed-upon in the game is Jail, while the single property most landed-upon is Illinois Ave, followed by the B&O Railroad. A hotel on Illinois gives you the most income for a single space, after a hotel on Boardwalk.
Sixteen Chance cards. The odds are high that a chance card will move you to another place, since ten out of sixteen chance cards require you to do so. Additionally, there are two rewards cards which give you money, two penalty cards which take money away, a card that takes away money from building owners and one get out of jail free card. Sixteen Community Chest cards. The majority of the Community Chest cards, nine out of sixteen, give you money. Three Community Chest cards take money away. Of the remaining cards, two move you elsewhere on the board, one takes away money from building owners and one is a get out of jail free card.
For example, don’t make “Free Parking” a bonus square and don’t make immunity part of any trade.
Don’t wait until you’ve got more money, or until you’ve landed on Boardwalk or other prestigious properties to start spending money. Start buying whatever open property you land on as soon as possible. The more you own, the better your standing in the game. There’s little incentive in Monopoly to play conservatively and wait. [6] X Research source You’ll start making money after you have property, not before. Don’t worry about spending all of your money in the early turns. That just means you’re playing smart.
You have a monopoly when you own all of the properties of one color. The holder of a monopoly is entitled to double the rental rate normally paid. The monopoly holder is also entitled to add houses/hotels (which substantially increases rental rates). Holding a monopoly also greatly enhances your bargaining power during property trades made at later times in the game.
Don’t worry about blocking a monopoly when two players each own a property of a group. They’re already blocking each other, meaning you’d be better off placing your attention elsewhere. Use the advantage that you gain from buying a property that another player wants to get something that you want. For example, if the other player has a property (or two) that you want, propose a trade. [8] X Research source
There’s only a 1 in 38 chance of profiting from a Utilities purchase, meaning you would be better off investing in hotels and other building projects because they will make you more money. [9] X Research source Sometimes it might be a good idea to purchase a Railroad to keep another player from having a railroad monopoly.
Build houses when you have enough cash for a “high probability” expense such as rents on railroads and utilities, luxury tax and certain Community Chest cards. If possible, wait until you pass the part of the board where there is the highest likelihood of paying the highest penalties, the last few squares of the game before Go.
Single properties should be mortgaged first. Don’t mortgage a property from a group where you own 2 or more properties unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you need to raise money, mortgage single properties if it allows you to own a color group of at least three houses per property (or hotels in the Light Blues or Purple group). As you cannot collect rent once a property is mortgaged, try not to mortgage those properties that players land on frequently or get higher-than-average rents from landers.
Before you make a deal, decide whether or not it will be advantageous to you in the future. Always ask yourself, what will this do for me in the long run, and how will this trade help me bankrupt my opponents? A good rule of thumb is to only trade to give yourself a monopoly, or to give yourself more monopoly than your opponent. [13] X Research source
If a player is blocking monopolies and is unwilling to trade properties, consider calling it a draw and starting a new game. In this situation, you could spend days trading money back and forth without making much progress.
