I was listening to a National Public Radio (NPR) interview one evening as I drove home that talked about the board game Monopoly.  The professor being interviewed teaches at Notre Dame and was discussing how quickly Monopoly could theoretically be played.  This piqued my interest for several reasons.

First, I like board games and I have played my share of Monopoly, although it is not my favorite.  It is often too time consuming; a complaint voiced by many.  This leads me to my second point of interest.  The discussion centered on the idea that Monopoly could be played from start to finish very quickly, even if played by the rules.  When I heard Monopoly and quickly in the same context it sounded like an oxymoron.  I wanted to hear more.

I have actually played Monopoly in what I considered a very quick manner and I was curious just how fast it has been played.  My mind darted back in time almost 30 years ago when my wife and I had another couple over for the evening.  After dinner the two women seemed to be engaged in conversation so I brought up a challenge to my male friend.  I wanted to play a fast game of Monopoly: strict observance of the rules.  Everyone laughed, as I knew they would, but I explained to my friend that I knew the exact rent of each property on the board and would play cut throat.  In other words if I get a monopoly and he didn’t, I would not make a trade.  I would build and  eventually wear him down.  Doesn’t sound like much fun does it?  To my pleasant surprise he also knew the rents and accepted my challenge.

The wives bowed out as us two men squared off.  We agreed to honor each other’s rent which would allow us to pick up the dice and roll while the other payed his rent.  In other words, if I landed on Illinois Ave. and he owned it, I would pay the $20 rent automatically (assuming he did not own all three red properties)  while he rolled and moved his token.  By the time I was placing the rent money next to him he would have already rolled, moved his token, and would either be reaching to pay me, pay the bank, or draw a card.  We moved fast.

During the first game I landed and purchased Park Place and then I soon thereafter drew a card that allowed me to advance to Boardwalk which I promptly bought.  Neither of us had another monopoly so I quickly built and waited for his eventual demise.  I think he landed on Park Place and then rolled snake eyes which landed him on Boardwalk: game over.  The game took about 30 minutes start to finish.  He won the next. In less than two hours we had played four games, each winning two.  Not the way the average person plays but an interesting experience for us.

You can see why I was curious about how fast the professor could play.  On the NPR interview he said Monopoly could be played in less than 30 seconds.  I didn’t believe him.  He proved me wrong.

The professor while being interviewed started on the clock by throwing and retrieving the dice (I assumed he rolled some doubles) while moving his token.  It only takes about 5 seconds to roll three times.  His voice conveyed urgency as he was rolling the dice, moving the tokens, yelling out the acquisitions of properties as well as any payments to the bank.  I think he was done in 24 seconds.  His game took less than half a minute: by the rules.  He and his son had previously researched what exact rolls of the dice would have to occur in order for a game to last such a short time.  I happened to fast for me to remember what theoretical rolls of the dice were yelled out.

When I got home I took a moment to investigate.  I didn’t care to break his record, just curious if it could actually be done in a minute or two.  Remember, the following is all theoretical but this is what my own research revealed:

The rules require players start with $1500 (two $500, two $100, two $50, six $20, five $10, five $5, five $1

The fastest possible game would be between two players. Let’s start.

Player one:  rolls double 5 (just visiting jail)

rolls double 6 (Chance: Building and Loan Matures. Collect $150)

rolls 5,6 (Community Chest: Bank Error in your Favor. Collect $200)

Player two:  rolls double 2,lands 0n income tax, pays $150

rolls double 5,1 (just visiting jail)

Player one: rolls Double 2, lands and purchases Park Place for $350

rolls double 1, lands and buys Boardwalk for $400.  It is still his turn.

Buys 3 houses for Boardwalk, 2 for Park Place: cost $1000

rolls 3,1  (Baltic Ave)

Player two:  rolls double 6, (Chance: Advance to Boardwalk)

Rent: $1400.  Can’t pay. Player only has $1350. Game over.

This would only take a matter of minutes even if you were not in a hurry.  My son and did it in 43 seconds.   I’m sure there are a number of variations that could achieve the same results.  If you play fast like I did with my friend it could probably be done it in less than a minute.  You would also have a greater chance of winning the lottery than a game with these dice combinations happening: so who cares?

I do.  It was fun to get the Monopoly game out and search out the possibilities to determine if this was true or not.  I like board games, including Monopoly.  I also enjoyed showing it to my older son who enjoys board games, just like the professor and his son.  I especially like searching for the truth in any given matter.  Truth is one of life’s hidden treasures.

The board game Treasure Trove has lots of hidden treasure and hidden truths.  I encourage you to check it out on the following website:  www.treasuretrovegame.com

I haven’t yet researched the fastest possible time Treasure Trove can be played, but it is a much quicker, usually 30 to 40 minutes.