Game Play Rules
1) Setup & Dealing
- All players start with 5 cards.
- The player to the left of the dealer begins the round.
- That same player must shuffle the deck at the end of the round.
2) Turn Order & Card Pickup
- At the start of each turn, 2 cards must be picked up.
- If a move is made before picking up the 2 cards, the pickup is voided.
- After picking up cards, the player may play cards or bank cards.
- Properties cannot be banked.
3) Hand Size Limit & Discards
If a player has more than 7 cards in their hand at the end of their turn:
- The other players at the table will randomly choose cards to discard until the hand contains no more than 7 cards.
- Discarded cards are placed into the middle of the deck.
4) Card Commitment & Clarifications
- During your turn, once your hand breaks contact with a card, that action is considered your official play.
- For beginners, the group may decide whether to enforce this rule.
- If clarification is needed and there is discussion about a move before making it, the player may temporarily let the card leave their hand within reason and without gaining a strategic advantage.
5) Special Cards & Turn Exceptions
- Playing a “Just Say No” card does not consume a turn, regardless of when it is played.
- “Just Say No” cards only apply to the player using them.
- Flipping a wild property card to a new color counts as one turn.
6) Houses & Hotels
- Houses may only be played once a complete property set is formed (excluding utilities and railroads).
- Once a house is placed, hotels may be placed on top.
- Once a house or hotel is banked, it remains in the bank and cannot be used elsewhere.
- If a house is given as monetary value and there is no legitimate place to put it, the house goes directly into the bank.
7) Rent & Action Card Rules
- Double the Rent cards may be played before or after a rent card.
- To avoid confusion, players are strongly encouraged to verbalize their move beforehand.
8) Colorless Wildcards
- Colorless wildcards have no monetary value and cannot be used as rent payment.
- If a colorless wildcard is not part of a full set, it may be taken using Sly Deal or Forced Deal.
- Colorless wildcards cannot be played on their own and must be attached to a legitimate property or utility.
If the property attached to a colorless wildcard is taken due to rent:
- The wildcard remains the same color.
- The player may not use it to charge rent unless it is part of a legitimate property set.
- Colorless wildcards cannot, by themselves, form an entire property set.
9) Card Pickup Errors
If a player accidentally takes too many cards:
- If the extra card is unseen, it is placed on top of the deck.
- If the player has seen all cards, the group will randomly select 1–3 cards, reveal it to the group, and shuffle it into the middle of the deck.