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Avoid common Monopoly mistakes to master the short and long game

How to gain early control and a lasting edge in Monopoly (part 7)

Ken Palmer
4 min readJun 28, 2021

When playing with friends and family, I prefer to avoid house rules. It just makes for a better experience.

Now, I’m not here to bash house rules. I want you to understand how a house rule will change the game. How you can adapt to win.

Let’s look at the most common Monopoly mistakes and house rules.

1. Don’t roll again when you land on a Utility

This mistake stems from the wording on the original Chance card. The “Advance token to nearest utility” card contains this line:

IF OWNED, throw dice and pay owner a total ten times the amount thrown.

When you land on a utility, the multiplier is the number you rolled to get there. You should not roll again to set that multiplier. The instruction to “throw dice and pay” only applies when Chance sends you to a Utility.

For example, your opponent owns both utilities. You roll a nine and land on Water Works. Don’t roll again! You owe that player $90.

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Ken Palmer
Ken Palmer

Written by Ken Palmer

Creative storyteller, engineer, and Dad.

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