From [a href="http://www.amnesta.net/other/monopoly/"]http://www.amnesta.net/other/monopoly/[/a]
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]How to win at Monopoly - a simple strategy: [ul][li]Always buy Railroads; never buy Utilities [font size="1"]*[/font] [/li][li]At the beginning of the game, focus on acquiring a complete C-G (Color Group) in Sides 1+2, even if it means trading away properties on Sides 2+3. After acquiring one of these C-Gs, build 3 houses as quickly as possible: no more houses, no less! [/li][li]Once your first C-G starts to generate some cash, focus on completing a C-G and building 3 houses in Sides 3+4. [ul][li]Note: 3 houses is the "sweet spot" in the game as shown in Table 1 below. That's where you're making the best use of your money.[/li][/ul] [/li][li]Single properties are the least good investment if you don't build on them. [/li][li]The only exception to the above rules are when you need to acquire stray properties to prevent your opponents from completing their C-Gs to accomplish the above strategy. [/li][/ul] The 5 best starting positions are - in order: [ol][li]3 houses on each of the light blue C-G (Oriental/Vermont/Connecticut) [/li][li]All 4 railroads [ul][li]One reason why this may even be the best starting point: the revenue flow from railroads is much more constant over time whereas some of the other properties may have the same ROI but they come with bigger payouts over longer time spans. Also railroads are a much better investment along the way (compared to 1 house on the Or/Ver/Conn group, for example). [/li][/ul] [/li][li]3 houses on each of the orange C-G (St James/Tennessee/New York) [/li][li]3 houses on each of the light purple C-G (St Charles/States/Virginia) [/li][li]A hotel on each of the dark purple C-G (Mediterranean /Baltic) [ul][li]This option gives by far the worst return of the 5 starting positions; in fact, until you get 4 houses, this C-G is the worst investment in the game! [/li][li]However, his option does have 2 advantages: it is the cheapest of the 5 and it only has 2 properties so owning the entire C-G may be easier, especially in large games. [/li][/ul] [/li][/ol] * I'm assuming all properties sell for close to their listed price. This is usually true, but sometimes properties can be auctioned off or traded much more cheaply or expensively; this will change how worthwhile they are to acquire.
