Monopoly: Is Boardwalk worth it?

[yhelothar]

I always prefer monopolizing the properties on the end half of a side, cyan, orange, yellow, and blue. This is since whatever price you pay for houses/hotels, you maximize rent with it.
Always mortgage properties that you don't monopolize to buy properties.

 

[HeXen]

i never cared enough to win that bad to go all out scientific on the thing. If i'm gonna use my time to do that, i'd do it for a online game where i can do some serious gloating.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Joshua: A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I love Monopoly! Park Place and Boardwalk are end game properties. It's difficult to get people to sit down together for several hours though. They're willing to spend 4 or 5 hours online with strangers but can't seem to handle face to face. My friends who love board games like I do live several hundred miles away.

The games would be so long, and tedious. More than once I had t quit out of boredom.

So, your dad won.

If i'm gonna use my time to do that, i'd do it for a online game where i can do some serious gloating.

I take it you've never played with serious board gamers?

 

[Brigandier]

Monopoly has always been about being the biggest jerk in the game and browbeating everybody else into taking bad trades. What properties you are cheating your opponents out of at the time is irrelevent.

Yep, or saving them some cash when they land on built up properties byt taking all their good lands instead of a ludicrous payment.

 

[Regs]

 

[lothar]

- Illinois Ave
- B&O Railroad
- Tennessee Ave.
- New York Ave.
- Reading Railroad
- St. James Place
- Water Works
- Pennsylvania Ave

Few things to note...
This whole study is based mostly on premise of going to jail. In most of the games I've played, going to jail is a very rare occurrence.
I agree that those strips between the go to jail spot and the jail itself are very important.

But, how often does one really land on the "go to jail" spot? How often does one land on a "chance" or "community chest" spot and pick a "Go directly to jail" card from dozens of cards? I forgot, are there one or two go to jail cards?

Illinois Ave is the most landed spot other than jail? Interesting...And 2 different studies by different authors cited in the article confirmed that. How is someone more likely to land on Illinois Ave. than St James Place? I have no idea. If I remember correctly, there is an "Advance to St. James Place" card just like there is one for Boardwalk, Illinois Ave, St. Charles place, and Pennsylvania Ave. right?

But hey...If the statisticians say it's true, then it is.
No mention of the Cyan or fuchsia properties in this report?

Also I would have liked it to be more detailed.
Rather than focus on individual strips, how likely is one going to land on the orange strip vs. the red one? How likely is one going to land on the yellow strip vs the cyan one?
Based on this report, we know orange is the most important strip color to control.
I would guess red is the second most important strip color to control, but I'm not sure what's next after that.
Looks like those cyan properties are not worth as much as I thought they were.

Direct link to the studies(as listed in the article)
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/article.html?article_id=6931
http://www.tkcs-collins.com/truman/monopoly/monopoly.shtml

 

[lothar]

Playing my father always pissed me off. He treated it like real life, so if he was maintaining, that was fine for him. The games would be so long, and tedious. More than once I had t quit out of boredom.

Sounds like you need the electronic banking edition.
The main thing that takes time in the game is having a human banker.

 

[zinfamous]

I always preferred the Orange and Red properties

 

[Ns1]

i like to squat on other peoples properties

 

[lothar]

My usual strategy is to sacrifice quality for quantity. More properties means more chances for people to land on them, which means that I get my money anyway. It also helps to have a steady stream of income to build up some reserve cash in case you hit on a hotel or something.

If one were to use/follow your strategy, they'd be broke.
Sacrificing 2, 3, or even 4 different properties so you can get a single property that would grant you monopoly status at a particular location happens all the time.

I'll trade you my Water Works, Electric Company, and 2 railroads so I can get your St. James place to complete my monopoly from you to start building houses/hotels.
I'll also give you 3 turns of immunity around the board, so you won't pay rent as a freebie if you land on it...or I can give you lifetime immunity on St. James Place only if you want.

 

[Brigandier]

I always preferred the Orange and Red properties

I always loved the orange most, decent cost of entry and decent cost of development, and after they are developed, they are gold mines.

 

[MotionMan]

My kids have just gotten into Monopoly, so we are playing 2-3 games a week now. My son is little and just loves getting Boardwalk and Park Place. My daughter is less enthused and has not developed a strategy yet.

I buy everything I land on, even at the expense of mortgaging other properties. If I own them, I cannot lose money on them and they may be useful later as trade-bait. (I usually win with half my properties mortgaged.)

I also focus on Orange, Purple(?) & Red. I like Orange and Purple because of their proximity to jail and the $100 houses/hotels. I will also tend towards light blue.

I will trade away yellow, green and blue for others.

And, btw, in our games, people go to jail often.

My strategy seems to be working most of the time (however, last game I landed on my son's Boardwalk with a hotel - game over).

MotionMan

 

[Brigandier]

My kids have just gotten into Monopoly, so we are playing 2-3 games a week now. My son is little and just loves getting Boardwalk and Park Place. My daughter is less enthused and has not developed a strategy yet.

I buy everything I land on, even at the expense of mortgaging other properties. If I own them, I cannot lose money on them and they may be useful later as trade-bait. (I usually win with half my properties mortgaged.)

I also focus on Orange, Purple(?) & Red. I like Orange and Purple because of their proximity to jail and the $100 houses/hotels. I will also tend towards light blue.

I will trade away yellow, green and blue for others.

And, btw, in our games, people go to jail often.

My strategy seems to be working most of the time (however, last game I landed on my son's Boardwalk with a hotel - game over).

MotionMan

Hahaha, I thought I was the only one that bought damn near everything. I usually only have like $20 in hard cash during the game, everything else is tied up in property.

 

[lothar]

I always buy everything I land on.
I've never in my life met anyone who doesn't.

 

[MotionMan]

Hahaha, I thought I was the only one that bought damn near everything. I usually only have like $20 in hard cash during the game, everything else is tied up in property.

Yeah, I am usually cash poor and every time I pass Go I add two houses.

My kids yelp at me about it, trying to give me advice, but I keep reminding them who keeps winning (and who bought the real house they are living in ).

MotionMan

 

[Brigandier]

I always buy everything I land on.
I've never in my life met anyone who doesn't.

I have met a distinct sort of player that when their cash starts to get around a couple hundred, they hold out on buying until they pass go, giving spendy mcgrabhands to muscle in on properties the other is afraid to buy.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

This probably only works if you're playing strictly by the rules. Most people have some random house rules that they play with.

Free parking Cash
No auctions
Buying hotels right away instead of buying houses first

Also sometimes if I'm taken out I'll just make bullshit trades so someone else will lose.

Then there's the bankers advantage.

 

[sandorski]

Boardwalk is a Player Killer, I always Hotel it. Owning a whole quarter is also very nice.

 

[MotionMan]

Here's a question for you Monopoly experts.

All your properties that are NOT mortgaged and you some cash. You land on Boardwalk with a hotel, which wipes you out. Can you, or, even, are you required to, mortgage all the properties BEFORE handing them and your now slightly larger pile of cash over to the Boardwalk owner?

MotionMan

 

[DominionSeraph]

Here's a question for you Monopoly experts.

All your properties that are NOT mortgaged and you some cash. You land on Boardwalk with a hotel, which wipes you out. Can you, or, even, are you required to, mortgage all the properties BEFORE handing them and your now slightly larger pile of cash over to the Boardwalk owner?

BANKRUPTCY
Top of Page

You are declared bankrupt if you owe more than you can pay either to another player or to the Bank. If your debt is to another player, you must turn over to that player all that you have of value and retire from the game.
In making this settlement, if you own houses or hotels, you must return these to the Bank in exchange for money to the extent of one-half the amount paid for them.
This cash is given to the creditor. If you have mortgaged property you also turn this property over to your creditor but the new owner must at once pay the Bank the amount of interest on the loan, which is 10% of the value of the property.
The new owner who does this may then, at their option, pay the principal or hold the property until some later turn, then lift the mortgage. If they hold property in this way until a later turn, they must pay the interest again upon lifting the mortgage.
Should you owe the Bank, instead of another player, more than you can pay (because of taxes or penalties) even by selling off buildings and mortgaging property, you must turn over all assets to the Bank. In this case, the Bank immediately sells by auction all property so taken, except buildings. A bankrupt player must immediately retire from the game. The last player left in the game wins.

It doesn't specifically say, but I don't think you're allowed to mortgage non-mortgaged properties (which would cost the receiving player a 10% or 20% penalty.) (although I've never played with the "pay 10% immediately on mortgaged properties" rule)

 

[shortylickens]

I read a book on Monopoly strategy once and it said the left and top legs are the best. Many things can force you to jail so Boardwalk and Park Place dont get hit frequently, but the pink, orange and red blocks get hit all the time. Much better income from owning those plots over the long run of the game.

 

[MotionMan]

It doesn't specifically say, but I don't think you're allowed to mortgage non-mortgaged properties (which would cost the receiving player a 10% penalty for the cost to unmortgage)

Thanks.

If you have mortgaged property you also turn this property over to your creditor but the new owner must at once pay the Bank the amount of interest on the loan, which is 10% of the value of the property.
The new owner who does this may then, at their option, pay the principal or hold the property until some later turn, then lift the mortgage. If they hold property in this way until a later turn, they must pay the interest again upon lifting the mortgage.

LOL. I never knew this part. I guess I should read the rules again so I am sure I am teaching my kids the proper way to play.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

I read a book on Monopoly strategy once and it said the left and top legs are the best. Many things can force you to jail so Boardwalk and Park Place dont get hit frequently, but the pink, orange and red blocks get hit all the time. Much better income from owning those plots over the long run of the game.

Yeah, there are three ways to get send to jail: Land on "Go to Jail", Draw a "Go to Jail" card or roll doubles three times.

As I mentioned, it happens quite often in our games.

MotionMan

 

[Brigandier]

Thanks.



LOL. I never knew this part. I guess I should read the rules again so I am sure I am teaching my kids the proper way to play.

MotionMan

The proper way to teach your chillins to play is to teach them to give you their money. There's no use trying to win, they should just hand over all the money at the beginning, saves everyone a lot of time.