Monopoly Rules
These are the "official" Monopoly® rules as stated by Parker Brothers. You may also want to visit these two pages for
additional information and clarification:
- Monopoly® Rules Explanations
- This page clarifies some of the regular Monopoly® rules, according to tournament play. Very informative.
- Commonly Missed Monopoly® Rules
- You know the arguments that happen when there's a disagreement on the rules. This page should help clear up
the confusion, as well as point out some stuff you might have missed.
PARKER BROTHERS Real Estate Trading Game was invented during the
Great Depression by Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania. Mr. Darrow, like many
other Americans, was unemployed at the time and he worked out the details of the game primarily
to amuse himself during this period. Prior to the Depression, Darrow and his wife vacationed in the
resort town of Atlantic City, New Jersey. When it came to naming the streets on the game board,
Darrow naturally adopted those of his favorite vacation spot.
The first games were handmade. Darrow gave them to friends and sold a few through a
Philadelphia department store. As the demand for the game grew, Darrow could not keep up with
the orders and arranged for Parker Brothers to take over the game.
Since 1935 when Parker Brothers acquired the rights to the game, it has become the leading
proprietary game not only in the United States but throughout the Western world. The game is
published under license in twenty-five countries and in fifteen foreign languages.
OBJECT
The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling
property.
EQUIPMENT
The equipment consists of a board, 2 dice, tokens, 32 houses and 12 hotels. There are Chance and
Community Chest, a Title Deed card for each property and play money.
PREPARATION
Place the board on a table and put the Chance and Community Chest cards face-down on their
allotted spaces on the board. Each player chooses one token to represent him on his travels around
the board.
Each player is given $1500 divided as follows: 2 each of $500's, $100's and $50's; 6-$20's; 5
each of $10's, $5's and $1's.
All remaining money and other equipment go to the bank.
BANKER
Select as banker a player who will also make a good Auctioneer. If the Banker plays in the game,
he must keep his personal funds separate from those of the Bank. When more than five persons
play, the Banker may elect to act only as Banker and Auctioneer.
THE BANK
Besides the Bank's money, the Bank holds the Title Deed cards and houses and hotels prior to
purchase and use by the players. The Bank pays salaries and bonuses. It sells and auctions
properties and hands out their proper Title Deed cards; it sells houses and hotels to the players and
loans money when required on mortgages.
The Bank collects all taxes, fines, loans and interest, and the price of all properties which it sells and
auctions.
The Bank never goes "broke". If the Bank runs out of money it may issue as much more as may be
needed by merely writing on any ordinary paper.
THE PLAY
Starting with the Banker, each player in turn throws the dice. The player with the highest total starts
the play. He places his token on the corner marked "GO", throws 2 dice and moves his token in
the direction of the arrow the number of spaces indicated by the dice. After he has completed his
play, the turn to play passes to the left. The tokens remain on the spaces occupied and proceed
from that point on the player's next turn. Two or more tokens may rest on the same space at the
same time.
According to the space which his token reaches, a player may be entitled to buy real estate or
other properties,-or be obligated to pay rent, pay taxes, draw a Chance or Community Chest card,
"Go to Jail", etc.
If a player throws doubles he moves his token as usual the sum of the two dice and is subject to
any privileges or penalties pertaining to the space on which he lands. Retaining the dice, he throws
again and moves his token as before. If a player throws doubles three times in succession, he
moves his token immediately to the space marked "In Jail" (see JAIL).
"GO"
Each time a player's token lands on or passes over "GO", whether by throw of the dice or by
drawing a card, the Banker pays him $200 salary.
However, $200 is paid only once each time around the board. If a player passing "GO" on the
throw of the dice, lands 2 spaces beyond it on "Community Chest", or 7 spaces beyond it on
"Chance", and draws the card "Advance to GO", he collects $200 for passing "GO" the first time
and another $200 for reaching it the second time by instructions on the card.
BUYING PROPERTY
Whenever a player lands on an unowned property he may buy that property from the Bank at its
printed price. He receives the Title Deed card showing ownership and places it face up in front of
him.
If he does not wish to buy the property it is sold at auction by the Banker to the highest bidder. The
buyer pays to the Bank the amount of the bid in cash and receives the Title Deed card for that
property. Any player, including the one who declined the option of buying it at the printed price,
may bid. Bidding may start at any price.
PAYING RENT
When a player lands on a property owned by another player the owner collects rent from him in
accordance with the list printed on the Title Deed card applying to it.
If the property is mortgaged, no rent can be collected. When a property is mortgaged its Title Deed
card is placed face-down in front of the owner.
It is an advantage to hold all the Title Deed cards in a color-group (i.e.: Boardwalk and Park
Place,-or Connecticut, Vermont and Oriental Avenues) because the owner may then charge double
rent for unimproved properties in that color-group. This rule applies to unmortgaged properties
even if another property in that color-group is mortgaged. It is even more of an advantage to have
houses or hotels on properties because rents are much higher than for unimproved properties.
The owner may not collect rent if he fails to ask for it before the second player following throws the
dice.
"CHANCE" and "COMMUNITY CHEST"
When a player lands on either of these spaces he takes the top card from the deck indicated,
follows the instructions and returns the card face-down to the bottom of the deck.
The "Get Out of Jail Free" card is held until used and then returned to the bottom of the deck. If the
player who draws it does not wish to use it he may sell it, at any time, to another player at a price
agreeable to both.
"INCOME TAX"
When a player lands on "Income Tax" he has two options: he may estimate his tax at $200 and pay
the Bank, or he may pay 10% of his total worth to the Bank. His total worth is all his cash on hand,
printed prices of mortgaged and unmortgaged properties and cost price of all buildings he owns.
The player must decide which option he will take before he adds up his total worth.
A player lands in Jail when(1.) his token lands on the space marked "Go to Jail"; (2.) he draws a
card marked "Go to Jail"; (3.) he throws doubles three times in secession.
When a player is sent to Jail he cannot collect $200 salary in that move since, regardless of where
his token is on the board, he must move it directly into Jail. A player's turn ends when he is sent to
Jail.
If a player is not "sent to Jail" but in the ordinary course of play lands on that space, he is "Just
Visiting", incurs no penalty, and moves ahead in the usual manner on his next turn.
A player gets out of Jail by(1.) throwing doubles on any of his next three turns. (If he succeeds in
doing this he immediately moves forward the number of spaces shown by his doubles throw. Even
though he has thrown doubles he does not take another turn.); (2.) using the "Get Out of Jail Free"
card if he has it; (3.) purchasing the "Get Out of Jail Free" card from another player and playing it;
(4.) paying a fine of $50 before he rolls the dice on either of his next two turns.
If a player does not throw doubles by his third turn he must pay the $50 fine. He then gets out of
Jail and immediately moves forward the number of spaces shown by his throw.
Even though he is in Jail, a player may buy or sell property, buy or sell houses and hotels and
collect rents.
FREE PARKING
A player landing on this space does not receive any money or reward of any kind. This is just a
"free" resting place.
HOUSES
When a player owns all of the properties of a color-group he may buy houses from the Bank and
erect then on those properties.
If he buys one house, he may put it on any one of those properties. The next house he buys must be
erected on one of the unimproved properties of this or any other complete color-group he may
own.
The price he must pay the Bank for each house is shown on his Title Deed card for the property on
which he erects the house.
The owner can still collect double rent from an opponent who lands on the unimproved properties
of his complete color-group.
Following the above rules, a player may buy an erect at any time as many houses as his judgment
and financial standing will allow. But he must build evenly (i.e.: he cannot erect more than one
house on any one property of any color-group until he has built one house on every property of that
group. He may then begin on the second row of houses, and so on, up to a limit of four houses to a
property. For example, he cannot build three houses on one property if he has only one house on
another property of that group.).
As a player builds evenly, he must also break down evenly if he sells houses back to the Bank (see
SELLING PROPERTY).
HOTELS
When a player has four houses on each property of a complete color-group, he may buy a hotel
from the Bank and erect it on any property of that color-group. He returns the four houses from
that property to the Bank and pays the price for the hotel as shown on the Title Deed card. Only
one hotel may be erected on any one property.
BUILDING SHORTAGE
When the bank has no houses to sell, players wishing to build must wait for some player to turn
back or to sell his houses to the Bank before building. If there are a limited number of houses and
hotels available, and two or more players wish to buy more than the Bank has, the houses and
hotels must be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
SELLING PROPERTY
Unimproved properties can be mortgaged through the Bank at any time. Before an improved
property can be mortgaged all the buildings on all the properties of its color-group must be sold
back to the bank at half price. The mortgage value is printed on each Title Deed card.
No rent can be collected on mortgaged properties or utilities, but rent can be collected on
unmortgaged properties in the same color-group.
In order to lift the mortgage, the owner must pay the Bank the amount of the mortgage plus 10%
interest. When all the properties of a color-group are no longer mortgaged the owner may begin to
buy back houses at full price.
The player who mortgages property retains possession of it and no other player may secure it by
lifting the mortgage from the Bank. However, the owner may sell this mortgaged property to
another player at any agreed price. The new owner may lift the mortgage at once, if he wishes, by
paying off the mortgage plus !0% interest to the Bank. If he does not lift the mortgage at once he
must pay the Bank 10% interest when he buys the property and if he lifts the mortgage later he
must pay an additional 10% interest as well as the amount of the mortgage to the Bank.
BANKRUPTCY
A player is bankrupt when he owes more than he can pay either to another player or to the Bank.
If his debt is to another player, he must turn over to that player all that he has of value and retire
from the game. In making this settlement, if he owns houses or hotels, he must return these to the
Bank in exchange for money to the extent of one-half the amount paid for them and this cash is
given to the creditor. If he has mortgaged property he also turns this property over to his 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. After the new owner does this, he may, at his option, pay the principal or
hold the property until some later turn at which time he may lift the mortgage. If he holds the
property in this way until a later turn, he must pay the interest again when he lifts the mortgage.
Should a player owe the Bank, instead of another player, more than he can pay (because of taxes
or penalties) even by selling his buildings and mortgaging property, he must turn over all his 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.
MISCELLANEOUS
Money can only be loaned to a player by the Bank and then only by mortgaging property. No
player may borrow from or lend money to another player.
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