Good "Monopoly" strategies?

[Doc_Moss]

*Originally posted by Doug Bowe *
** Okay, Doc, in that case let’s quickly cover a couple of other bases. Some Monopoly games have been known to go on for days because too many people play under the “assumed” rules we all grew up with rather than the real ones in the rule book
This is really basic, so please don’t feel insulted if you already know 'em.
When you land on an unowned property you either buy it or it goes up for auction among the other players(the auction is skipped by a lot of people). This may slow down the game at first, but it really helps speed it up later. The auction is also a strategy. If you really don’t want the property you landed on you might call an auction and cause others to overbid and get cash poor.
The Bank never runs out of money.
Free Parking is just that…Free Parking. It’s not necessarily a place where jail fines or anything else goes.
So what’s it’s purpose? If you just ran a gauntlet of developed oranges and almost hit some developed reds that Free Parking space is a Godsend! **

We knew about free parking, but we didn’t really know about auctions. How do they work?

Is it up to the person who lands on the property to decide if it goes up for auction? Or if he resfuses to buy it, does it automatically go up for auction? Is there a minimum bid? Is there a maximum bid? The bank takes the cash too, right?

[hypergirl]

When I played with a bunch of people at camp, people would go off in secret and make special deals. I’m not sure if that’s within the rules, but I know I got screwed over a few times because of it.

[whitetho]

*Originally posted by Doc Moss *

We knew about free parking, but we didn’t really know about auctions. How do they work?
The player who is banker handles the auctions. Anyone can bid, including the player who originally landed on the property.

Is it up to the person who lands on the property to decide if it goes up for auction?
Yes–when players land on an unsold property, they must either buy it or put it up for auction.

Or if he resfuses to buy it, does it automatically go up for auction?
Yes.

Is there a minimum bid?
$1 (or, a more international answer, one bill of the lowest denomination used in the game.) But, unless most of the players have serious cashflow problems, in our games the first bid will be at least the property’s mortgage value.

** Is there a maximum bid?**
No. And in our games, occasionally a player will land on a property they want, guess that no one else wants it, put the property up for auction expecting to get it at a discount, and then end up having to bid more than what they could have paid for it when they landed on it.

**The bank takes the cash too, right? **
Yes.

[Elkman]

I’m no expert, and I know nothing of probabilities, but when playing with four people, I have not yet lost if I follow this acquisition strategy:

Get the oranges, yellows and utilities.

My grandfather always used to beat me with the railroads the greens and dark purples. He didn’t know of, or care about, probabilities either, and I never knew him to lose a game either.