One of the things that often irks people about the classic board game Monopoly is the time it takes to play a compete game. We’ve had games that have lasted for entire weekends, and even then we haven’t reached a satisfactory conclusion.

In the game, as you land on unowned locations (especially at the start) it’s up to the active player to choose whether or not they will purchase said location. If the player chooses not to part with his or her hard-earned fake cash, the game usually just moves on to the next player and the location goes unclaimed.

What if I were to tell you that this is entirely against the rules?! I know, you’re so shocked you can’t speak. Just look at this passage from the official rule book that proves what I’m saying is true.

Sending un-purchased properties to auction has a number of benefits. Firstly, it speeds up the game, as it enables the quicker collection of a matched set of streets. Secondly, it makes the game much more interesting by massively increasing the interaction between players. Bluff appropriately and you could end up buying a property you really want for way below the market price – or trick another player into buying a property you don’t want for way more than the market price. Thirdly, it makes the game much more skilful, since it is now less dependent on luck, and more dependent on your ability to trick, bluff and manage the other players.