Most people have played the classic game of Monopoly, in which players buy properties to gain as much money as possible, at least once. The total amount of money available in the game, however, isn’t always discussed.
If you want to make sure you have all the playing pieces or you simply want to know a little more about the game, knowing how much money is available in the game and how it breaks down can help.
How much money is in a game of monopoly?
When you open a Monopoly set, you’ll find a stack of paper bills, representing dollars, in different denominations. Each game set includes 30 $500, $100, $50, $20, $10, $5, and $1 bills, for a totally of $20,580. This amount of money first appeared in the game in 2008. Prior to that date, only a total of $15,140 was available.
At the Monopoly World and United States Championships, $20,580 is given out as the grand prize to match the total amount of money available in the game.
How much money does each player start with?
At the start of a game of Monopoly, each person is given $1,500. Each player should have two $500 bills, four $100 bills, one $50 bill, one $20 bill, two $10 bills, one $5 bill, and five $1 bills.
In casual games with more players, the rules regarding how much money each player gets at the start of the game are less strict. Some people prefer to hand out less starting money to prolong the game, while others prefer to hand out more money for a faster-paced game.
How do you play Monopoly?
Each Monopoly board has a central area around which are 40 squares. Players take turns rolling dice and moving the number of spaces indicated by the dice, and it’s along these squares that each player moves.
Of the 40 squares, 28 contain properties that players can buy, as long as no other player already owns the property. Each property is named after a real location in or near Atlantic City, New Jersey.
There are also three chance squares, three Community Chest squares, one Luxury Tax square, one Income Tax square, one Go square, one Jail square, one Go to Jail square, and one Free Parking square.
If a player lands on one of these non-property squares, they must follow the rules given by the square or pay a fee.
Each game of Monopoly contains $20,580.
The goal of the game is to bankrupt every other player. Players can buy properties to collect rent from other players who land on those properties. Once a player has purchased all of the properties of the same color, the player can pay to build on the properties, which raises the cost of rent for other players.
If a player lands on a square and can’t pay the fee for rent, they can give the other player a property to cover the cost. If the player cannot pay the fee on a game card, their property goes back to the game bank. When one player has no more properties or money, the player is considered to be bankrupt.
Because it can take some time for players to bankrupt each other, many people choose to play by different end rules. They simply play the game until they feel it has gone long enough and then add up each player’s total worth.
This includes any money the player has as well as how much each property is worth. The person who has the highest total worth wins the game.
Are there Monopoly variations?
Aside from the classic design and gameplay style of the standard Monopoly game, there are hundreds of Monopoly variations.
Some Monopoly games simply have a different theme—for example, some might have a theme mimicking a certain town or region, or they might be themed around a movie or book.
These games are played in the same way as a classic Monopoly game, but they look different.
Other Monopoly versions are designed to be played in a different way or with different rules than the standard game. These games might have a similar board to the classic game, or the board and pieces might be completely different along with the gameplay rules.
You can generally tell if a Monopoly game is played differently or simply themed differently by looking at the title of the game.
If the word Monopoly comes after the variation, such as it might on New York City Monopoly or National Parks Monopoly, the game generally has a unique theme but is otherwise played the same way a standard game is.
If the word Monopoly comes before the variation, such as in Monopoly Go, either the game rules, board, playing pieces, or a combination of all of those things are different than in the standard game.
Some Monopoly games don’t follow this naming rule, though, so it’s always a good idea to check the game’s rules and play style before you decide to purchase it.
