There are some traditions on Christmas Day that never go amiss. Turkey, stockings, Christmas pudding, crackers, there’s a lot that goes into making Christmas Day special.
Another aspect for many is board games. Perhaps you’re trying out a new game this year, or maybe your family stick with the classics, regardless, its a great way to spend the evening as everyone slowly begins to digest all the food they’ve been eating.
But just because its the season of being merry and bright, doesn’t mean anyone gets less competitive, especially when a game as infamously infuriating as Monopoly gets brought out. So if you’re looking to attain victory this Christmas, keep reading.
Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, also applies his strategic thinking to board games it turns out. Lewis recently appeared on his latest ITV documentary, ‘Martin Lewis: How to Win at Board Games’ where he had an entire section on how you can win at Monopoly.
He introduces the financial principles of ‘return on investment’ to the game, before introducing the obvious that when you begin the game the most expensive properties are the ones that will make you the most money.
Then Lewis goes on to explain that you should try and buy as many properties as possible early on in the game. As the game continues, focus on the properties return on investment, Lewis advises. Essentially consider on how much each property with get you, vs how much they’re worth.
So those dark blue and green properties we all try to land on? You can forget about them. Rather, the second-cheapest on the board are the properties that will bring you to victory.
The three best properties for ROI is the light blue group: Pentonville Road, Euston Road, and The Angel Islington. This is followed by the brown Whitechapel Road, the dark blue of Mayfair, and the three orange properties.
Another part of this strategy is picking up a variety of colours on the board, as you can only start building houses and hotels in sets. “When you buy one house, the return on investment is 26 per cent,” he said.
“With two houses, its 56 per cent. With three, it’s 110 per cent – there’s a massive jump between two and three.”
Additionally by focusing on having one of various sets you have leverage over other players because you can prevent them from building.
So there you have it. If you want to win this Christmas you now have a step-by-step guide, just be careful not to burn any bridges!