People are only just discovering the ‘secret’ auction rule in Monopoly

It’s Christmas, which means the booze is flowing, the mince pies are in abundance and the games of Monopoly are more intense than ever before.

Yep, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a good old-fashioned family argument caused by unruly purchasing tactics, stints in jail and a whole lot of bankruptcy. 

But I’m sure the majority of you will agree when I say the worst part of Monopoly is when someone snatches up a property you’ve been eyeing up for a while after they land on it first.

Well, that frustration could all be set to change thanks to one crafty social media user introducing the world to the ‘secret’ auction rule.

According to Twitter user known only as Ruben, the auction rule means that when a player lands on a property, it goes to auction for any other player to buy when it’s their turn, rather than it only being available for the player sitting aloft it.

The official Monopoly rule reads: “If the player lands on an unowned property, whether street, railroad, or utility, they can buy the property for its listed purchase price. If they decline this purchase, the property is auctioned off by the bank to the highest bidder, including the player who declined to buy.”

Very interesting.

William Warby / Flickr

Of course, people couldn’t believe what they were hearing at the news of this revolutionary rule, with one person writing: “Holy MOLY! That takes strategy/risk taking UP A DAMN LEVEL! I am so down for this rule. Thank you for the tip off!”

Though there were plenty of Twitter users/seasoned Monopoly players who couldn’t believe people hadn’t heard of the rule before, with one person writing: “Always amazed by the amount of people that don’t know this. HOW CAN YOU BUY A GAME AND NOT READ THE RULES?”

So there you have it; this could either cause or prevent some serious family arguments this festive season.