Real strategies for fake money

There you are, standing eagerly over a huge pile of cash and assets.

Slowly but surely, you’ve built a business empire, and now you’re preparing to finish off some unfortunate competitors. They’ll have to mortgage all they have in order to pay the rent to you, their miserly landlord. As you greedily count your winnings (those dark-orange $500 bills feel crisp to the touch), they roll their eyes. “Can we play something else now? You won already.”

And then, it’s over. The Monopoly game is tidily packed away, and you’re left with nothing but a wad of crumpled and greasy tan bills. The cutthroat world of buying, trading and cajoling properties and cash from your competitors while avoiding income taxes and trying to buy a “get out of jail free” pass is done for now, but sometime soon you’ll play again — it just feels too good to win.

Winning: that’s the enduring appeal of the most successful board game in American history. And like our one-time burgeoning capitalist nation, the game relishes a free-for-all cash grab where the wiliest, shrewdest and luckiest can wildly speculate on real estate property before mortgaging all their assets, being slowly bled to death by larger competitors or establishing a monopoly and lording over their tenants. It’s an American tradition.

But behind the veiled (and now, perhaps, illegal) politics and business practices lies the simple fact that the game is plain, addictive fun, making it a perfect fit for families and groups of friends looking to laugh, compete and sometimes annoyingly haggle over Boardwalk and Park Place.

At least that’s the formula behind the Thrid Annual Boy Scouts of America Monopoly Tournament. “I played the game all my life, and was looking for a fun fundraiser [benefiting a Boy Scout scholarship fund],” said Lee Hess, founder of the tournament. “I think I’m a pretty savvy player despite not playing all that often.”

The tournament, held in Thousand Oaks, hopes to draw an eclectic mix of professionals, curious first-time entrants, families, scouts and scout leaders looking to hone their skills on the road to a national championship where more than $20,000 in real cash prizes are handed out.

“At the BSA tournament, I get a chance to play a lot of people,” said Geoff Ellis, who served as a coach at the April 2009 National Championship in Washington, D.C. “If I just play with other Monopoly enthusiasts, you only see one style of play.” Ellis, who barely missed the cut as a competitor in last year’s championship and instead scouted playing styles for several participants, describes two types of Monopoly players: the overly aggressive and the shrewdly conservative. Neither variety is likely to win.

The overly aggressive just build too much in inopportune times — they take too many risks. There aren’t enough renters to justify such huge investments. When that happens, “down come your houses,” Ellis says. “Just to build up for the sake of building up, and then having no money, isn’t smart. Sometimes I get accused of being overly aggressive, though.” It can be easy to get swept away and just gamble a fortune. Such are the pitfalls of the game.

Still, overly aggressive seems better than the conservative alternative. “Some players will sit with $500 bills in front of them, and they won’t build a house,” he says. “You shouldn’t be just sitting there with a big stack of money in front of you — it’s a waste.” Most players, he figures, tend to be conservative. It can be difficult to part with big, colorful stacks of neatly arranged bills. Knowing when to invest and how to save just enough for that pesky income tax is the key to emerging victorious.

For Lee Hess, this strategy earned him a place as a competitor in the 2009 national championship, which by itself is an accomplishment. Last year, in order to qualify, entrants first took a 30-question quiz on the history of the game (including essay questions on strategy) before competing in an online tournament intended to weed out the weaker competitors. The top 24 scoring participants received entry to the tournament and a chance to nab the $20,000 cash prize.

“The speed-die they use in the nationals moves the game very quick,” Hess elaborated. “But a key to the game is bartering with people. A lot of the good players are in real estate.” They know, from years of real-life experience, when to trade properties or keep them close to the vest. Sometimes the experience can even overpower another large facet of the game: luck. Despite some scattered opinions to the contrary, the luck of the dice can ultimately influence the razor-thin margin between a winner and loser in the championships.

Fortunately, at the BSA tournament in Thousand Oaks, former national champion Matt McNally will treat kids and inexperienced entrants to a strategy session prior to the competition. The champ will impart basic strategy to the entrants in hopes that they’ll be sharp enough to hang on to valuable properties that seasoned veterans might offer a low-ball sum for.

Nikki Evans, a boy scout in Troop 718 (Thousand Oaks), just hopes this year he goes farther than he did the first time. “The last year, I had two pros at my table and that didn’t go so well,” he said. “I’d like to get to the finals this year, though. The one thing I learned is to buy anything and everything as fast as you can.”   

The Third Annual BSA Monopoly Tournament will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, in St. Paschal Baylon Church at 155 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. Entry fees range from $35 to $45 with proceeds benefiting the Fund for Disadvantaged Scouts. For more information, visit www.bsamonopoly.com.

erik@vcreporter.com