Ten Game Playing Monopoly Myths Not in the Offical Rules

Most everyone has certainly played the game Monopoly, though many might never have actually read the rules. I know a lot of families create their own house rules, so kids grow up thinking that is how the game is played. Here are some well-known myths that many of you might think are actual rules, but they are not.

Myth #1 All Players Must Pass Go Before any Property can be Bought

It is unclear how most of the game play myths were first created, but this one is probably the weirdest. Many people feel that their game pieces must make a full round of the board before they are allowed to purchase any property. This would merely increase the time of an already lengthy game. Totally unnecessary, and it’s not in the rules. Not sure? Read the rules again.

Myth #2 When the Bank Runs out of Money, Game Ends

While this might be a good way to end the game if it goes on too long, it is stated in the official rules that the bank cannot run out of money. If it does, the banker can use regular paper and write the amount of currency on them until its cash reserves have been restored.

Myth #3 Get Rich Landing on Free Parking

This is probably everyone’s favorite myth, and even my family still does it. In actuality Free Parking is merely a free spot on the board where the player has no fear of owing anyone for anything. While it can be fun to put jail fees or other small fees on this spot to give a lucky player a windfall, doing this all the time could break the bank. This of course guarantees the second myth already discussed.

Myth #4 Player Can't Join Auction if He Declines to buy Property

All players are allowed to join any auction, whether or not they were the ones who landed on the property to be auctioned. Declining to buy the deed outright might even save the original player the full cost of the property.

Myth #5 If Player is Sent to Jail after Three Doubles, it is Still His Turn

While doubles guarantees the player another throw, no on can throw the dice more than three times during each turn. If that third time is a double, player will end up jail. There he must wait until it is his turn again.

Myth #6 Houses can be Built on a Property Even if the Others are Mortgaged

Since no property can be mortgaged until all hotels and houses are sold, this is impossible. It is also impossible to build a hotel on one of the properties without also building the others in that monopoly group by the same amount. For instance no player can have one hotel on Boardwalk and only one, two or even three houses on Park Place.

Houses/hotels must be bought and sold in equal increments. That means there can only be a difference of one house among all properties in a monopoly. So in above example, if there is a hotel on Boardwalk, there would have to be either a hotel or four houses on Park Place. If there were three houses on Boardwalk, there would have to be between two to four houses on Park Place.

Myth #7 Houses and Hotels can Only be Purchased during that Player’s Turn

As long as no one is throwing the dice, anyone can add to his/her property during game play. So if an opposing player is close to an expensive monopoly on his/her next throw, the owner of those properties can increase them to hotels before the opposing player throws the dice. Of course, the owner can’t wait until the doomed player hits that property and then decide to increase to hotels. They would have to wait until the player has finished his/her turn.

Myth #8 Players can only Lose to other Players

If a player does not have any property to mortgage or enough cash to pay a debt owed to the bank, that player can lose to the bank (i.e. luxury tax or one of the higher paying Community Chest or Chance cards). If this should happen, all property handed over to the bank would be auctioned off to any remaining players.

Myth #9 Players can Give Bankrupt Players a Loan to Keep them in the Game

Only the bank can give players loans, and that is only through mortgaging owned property. Newer versions of Monopoly as well as the Electronic Monopoly might allow larger loans, but these are not included in the original Monopoly game's rules.

Myth #10 As long as There are Hotels for Sale, I Can Still Build

It doesn’t matter how many hotels are available. There has to be enough houses for sale before someone can upgrade to a hotel. So if a player only has 2 houses on each of his three properties, he would need nine more houses to make a hotel (5 houses = 1 hotel). If there are only 8 houses left, he cannot upgrade to hotels. At least not until someone else is forced to sell their houses.

There are undoubtedly other game-playing myths, as well as those who ignore the rules and have created their own. No matter how Monopoly is played, as long as all house rules are agreed to before game play, it will always be fun and entertaining.