Here’s how to win at Monopoly, according to math experts
Here’s how to win at Monopoly, according to math experts
Here’s how to win at Monopoly, according to math experts
November 16, 2017
By Hannah Fry and Thomas Oleron Evans
Summary
The key to success in Monopoly is noticing that not all properties are created equal.
To find the best strategy, we need to take into account how much you can expect each property, fully loaded with hotels, to earn for every roll of the dice and how much investment is required to get you there.
To make a well-informed decision about which are the best properties to buy, you want to know how quickly you'll make your money back and how quickly you'll earn the big bucks once you do.
Monopoly doesn't let you build on single properties.
At all times, you are looking to hold the property whose line is at the top of the pile, which changes depending on how long the game goes on.
Since the average game of Monopoly takes about 30 turns per competitor, the set you want will change depending on how many opponents you have.
Eventually, any investment in Monopoly will make its money back, but early on in the game, should you invest in building - or hang on to the cash in case you find yourself on the receiving end of a big bill? You can compare these two scenarios, and look at how many rolls of the dice by your competitors it will take before you're better off investing in that extra house.
Reference
Fry, H., & Evans, T. (2017, November 16). Here's how to win at Monopoly, according to math experts. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://ideas.ted.com/heres-how-to-win-at-monopoly-according-to-math-experts/