Revealed: How to win at Exeter Monopoly
It’s the world’s favourite family board game which last month had been celebrating its’ 80th anniversary. Now the secrets of how to break the Monopoly bank are laid bare by the company that has produced the official Exeter version of the board.
A games brainbox has come up with the “perfect plan” of how to win at Monopoly – perhaps as elaborate as breaking out of the Monopoly jail itself!
And he has adapted it to the official Exeter version which is going to be played by thousands of families over this festive period.
Peter Griffin is a Cambridge University graduate and MONOPOLY Development Director at Winning Moves UK, the company that has produced the brand new customised board for Exeter. He has spent the last three years “perfecting” the formulae of how to win at Monopoly and today he boldly declares:
“Follow these tips and you will be laughing all the way to the Monopoly bank.”
His ten-point ‘cut out and keep’ guide is a must-have for those opening their boards on Christmas Day in Devon.
The official Exeter Monopoly board was launched in October, but the many thousands who have snapped it up won’t be opening it just yet until Santa has paid his annual Exeter visit.
And Peter, 32, gives as his two most prized top tips as: rather than building hotels on Monopoly properties by just buying four houses you can create a housing shortage which prevents other players from building up their own rival property portfolio.
He also says the very best tip if you want to win at Exeter Monopoly this Christmas is to snap up the orange set, meaning you would own Exeter’s High Street, Fore Street and Gandy Street.
Here are his top ten tips in full:
1. Insist on running the Monopoly bank – that way you can be absolutely sure no-one is cheating!
2. Monopoly is a game of luck, strategy and people skills. Over a period of time if you play a lot of games luck becomes a minor factor. People skills, however, are always at play. "Be charming," urges Peter. "At some point you may want to negotiate with other players. If people don't want to trade with you that can often be the difference between winning and losing."
3. Buy as much property as you can early on in the game…
4. …but not the utilities as they offer the "very worst monetary return" of all the Monopoly sites, insists Peter.
5. Know when to concede or adopt the same principle to convince your opponent to concede. The aim of the game is to win but if you can’t win the next aim is to get some sleep! Some games can last for hours. The longest game recorded lasted 70 straight days!
6. Don’t put your fines in the centre if you land on Free Parking – it’s a myth and a 'house rule' that has developed over the years. “The length of the average game is doubled if you play this invented rule," says Peter.
7. Early on in the game if you end up in jail, pay the money to ‘get out of jail’ as you can’t afford to be wasting time (while other players begin building up property empires) waiting for doubles (you either need to throw a double or pay to get out of the Monopoly jail). But ….
8. If you have built up a property empire and then you find yourself fin jail STAY there. You CAN collect rents even if you are jailed, contrary to unofficial house rules that have developed over the years. “These house rules are myths,” explains Peter. “As is collecting double if you land on GO and scooping up fines if you land on Free Parking.”
9. Rather than build hotels stop your property development at four houses. That way you can create a housing shortage and inhibit other players winning ambitions.
10. Buy orange. This is Peter’s number one tip. “These are the very best properties,” he says “A modest outlay for big return and strategically the most landed on set because of their position in relation to the Monopoly jail.”
Winning Moves UK say the Exeter board is proving extremely “hot property" in the run-up to Christmas (the board is well into a third print run) and the buyers include many from all over the world – tourists and ex-pats. “Online sales have been extremely brisk,” says a Winning Moves UK spokesperson. “Come Christmas we reckon the only boards left will be the ones on Santa’s sleigh.”
In the Exeter version, 22 Monopoly property sites take on a city Exeter flavour and feel, with the Chance and Community Chest playing cards heavily customised too.
The board is available at all good toy and book stores including Toys R Us, The Works, Waitrose, Waterstones and WH Smith. The board is also widely available online, including amazon.co.uk
Peter’s personal favourite of the Monopoly themed boards is Cornwall where he hails from - which ‘Passed GO’ in 2001 and is still in production 14 years later and still very much on shop shelves from the High Street to amazon.
He adds: "But I shall be rolling the dice this Christmas on the Exeter version. It's a beautiful vibrant city and I believe the board reflects it extremely well."
Over the years there have been all sorts of advice on how to win at the world’s favourite family board game brand. But of course not everyone can win. So Peter has this advice if you are in a losing position and there is no way of winning.
He says you should either offer to concede as per outlined as part of tip number six above.
Or enthusiastically offer to make fellow players a cuppa but NOT return. "This always works for me on the odd occasion when I'm not doing too well!" says Peter.
