Monopoly Deal is a card game variation of Monopoly inspired by the classic board game Monopoly. Cartamundi, a Belgian company, started making and selling playing cards in 2008 with permission from Hasbro, an American toy company. The game is suitable for 2–5 players, aged 8 and up, and comes with 110 cards and a set of instructions. You can buy monopoly deal cards from Amazon.com.
Monopoly Deal Rules
In Monopoly Deal, the goal is to gather three sets of properties with different colors, similar to the original Monopoly game. However, instead of using a board and tokens, players use cards to buy, sell, trade, and rent properties. Players can use action cards to do things like charging rent, stealing properties, or making deals with other players. But watch out for the Debt Collectors, Forced Deals, and Deal Breakers, which can change the course of the game at any time!
How to Paly Monopoly Deal
Before starting the game, remove the four QuickStart cards from the deck and give one to each player. These cards provide a summary of the rules and some tips for playing. Next, mix the cards and give each player five cards facing downwards. These cards form your hand, and you should keep them secret from the other players.
Here are the basic rules for playing Monopoly Deal:
The game is played in turns, starting with the player to the left of the dealer and moving clockwise. On your turn, you must do the following:
- Draw two cards from the top of the draw deck and add them to your hand.
- Play up to three cards from your hand, in any order and combination. You can play cards in three ways:
- Place money cards or Action cards that have a monetary value face up in front of you, in your bank. These cards can be used to pay rent or debts later in the game.
- Place property cards face up in front of you, in your property section. These cards represent the properties you own and can collect rent from. You can also add house or hotel cards to your property sets to increase their rent value.
- Place Action cards face up in the center discard pile and follow their instructions. These cards allow you to perform various actions, such as charging rent, stealing properties, making deals, or drawing more cards. Some Action cards can be played as money cards in your bank, as indicated by the icon in the corner.
- If you have more than seven cards in your hand at the end of your turn, you must discard the excess cards to the discard pile.
Monopoly Deal Card Play
There are four types of cards in Monopoly Deal: Money, Property, Action, and Wild. Here is a brief description of each type:
- Money cards have a monetary value ranging from $1M to $10M. You can place them in your bank or use them to pay rent or debts. Some Action cards also hold a monetary value and players can use them as money cards.
- Property cards have a color and a name that match the properties in the original Monopoly game. They also show how many cards are required for a full set of that color. Additionally, they provide the rent amount for that set.
- There are 28 property cards in total, divided into 10 different colors. Some property cards are part of two sets, as indicated by the slash on the card. You can only add house or hotel cards to a property set after you have completed the set. You cannot add house or hotel cards to the Railroads or Utilities sets.
- Action cards have a name and an instruction that tell you what action to perform when you play them. There are 34 action cards in total, divided into 11 types. Some can be used as money cards, shown by the icon. Some can be played anytime, even during another player’s turn, shown by the lightning bolt.
- Wild cards can be any color property card. They can be in your property section or moved among your sets. There are 10 wild cards in total, divided into 4 types. Wild cards can be any color property card. They can be in your property section or moved among your sets.
- There are 10 wild cards in total, divided into 4 types. Some wild cards have a value and can be used as money cards in your bank. This is shown by the icon on the corner.
Property Sets
To win the game, you need to collect three complete sets of properties with different colors. A set is complete when you have all the cards of that color in front of you. The number of cards needed to complete a set varies depending on the color, as shown below:
- Brown: 2 cards
- Light Blue: 3 cards
- Pink: 3 cards
- Orange: 3 cards
- Red: 3 cards
- Yellow: 3 cards
- Green: 3 cards
- Dark Blue: 2 cards
- Railroads: 4 cards
- Utilities: 2 cards
Moving Cards
You can move wild cards and property cards around as much as you like among your sets, but only during your turn. Moving a card that is already on the table in front of you does not count as “playing” a card. You can also swap cards with other players, either by using an Action card or by making a deal with them. However, you cannot give away or trade cards from your hand or your bank.
Winning
To win the game, you need to be the first player to collect and lay down three full sets of properties with different colors in front of you.
