Most of us have been losers in Monopoly at some point or another. And it isn't fun; losing players are stripped of their money and possessions, and have their spirits crushed. But there are certain strategies employed by the best that may be able to save you that fate.
Andi Cameron, of Holland Landing, Ont., was crowned the on Monday in Toronto. Despite only previously taking on friends and family, Cameron won the tournament and defeated 47 other Monopoly enthusiasts.
The victory earned her a $10,000 cheque and a shot at a $20,000 prize at the 2015 Monopoly World Championships in China in September.
While Cameron says "you never really know" how the game will play out until the dice start rolling, she has some useful tips and tricks.
Cameron says that when people play Monopoly they often get caught up chasing the top-shelf properties, like Park Place and Boardwalk, too early in the game. While the rents of these cards are high, elevated costs delay the construction of houses and hotels.
Instead, she says it is better to target the light blue, purple and, in particular, the orange properties.
"(That way) you can usually build up on them very quickly, early in the game and ideally you can bankrupt people early, when there's not a lot of money flowing," Cameron says.
In the final game of the Canadian Championships, Cameron was able to beat the competition early on by collecting and building on a set of light blue properties.
"That's what ended up giving me the game," Cameron says.
She advises that the orange properties are the most "profitable" and give players the best bang for their buck. That is because the orange properties have a high rent but reasonable construction costs.
Cameron also says it is a good strategy to capitalize on the high rents charged by the railroads earlier in the game.
She won her first game at the tournament by collecting all four railroads and bankrupting her competitors.
"When you own all four of them, (players) have to pay you $200 every time they land on them, so I was getting $200 at least two or three times every single time we rounded the board," Cameron said.
"In bankrupting someone, you acquire their properties so in that way I was able to complete my sets and then I had so much I was able to build right away," she added.
Cameron says that once you bankrupt people then you can acquire the more expensive blue chip properties, which she says are more advantageous later in the game.
Another pitfall that traps some players is that they fail to save enough money to cover rent as they round the board.
"(You need) an emergency fund to pay down on any rents that might be in your path before you build up on your owner properties," Cameron says.
Cameron was also shocked by the amount of "table talk" that went on during the tournament. She says that she opted to stay quiet so she could get a better read on other players.
"I thought the more I could listen to what they're saying, the more I could figure out what kind of trades they might do with me," Cameron says.
While the mother of two says that her victory caught her by surprise, she learned a lot at the tournament and is looking forward to using that experience at the Monopoly World Championships in September.
"I think competing on the world stage is going to be completely different … just because everyone beat out many people in their own respective countries to get there," Cameron says.
"It is going to be tough and I just hope I get lucky and I have the knowledge to back up that luck."
