How to Play Monopoly Deal (Rules, Cards and the 2-Player Game)
Quick answer: Deal five cards each. On your turn, draw two cards, then play up to three: bank money, lay down properties, or use action cards. Keep no more than seven cards in hand. The first player with three full property sets in different colors wins.
Monopoly Deal is a card game for 2–5 players, ages 8 and up, and a game takes about 15 minutes, according to Wikipedia’s Monopoly Deal page. These rules follow Hasbro’s official instructions. If you’re still deciding whether to buy it, start with our Monopoly Deal review.
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Setup
- Take out the four rules cards and shuffle the other 106 together.
- Deal five cards face down to each player.
- Put the rest face down in the middle as the draw pile.
- Pick a first player, and play moves to the left.
Each player builds two areas in front of them as the game goes on: a bank of money, and a property collection of sets laid out by color.
Your Turn, Step by Step
- Draw two cards. If you start your turn with no cards in hand, draw five instead.
- Play up to three cards. You can play zero, one, two or three. Each card can go into your bank as money, into your property collection, or into the middle as an action.
- Check your hand size. If you have more than seven cards, discard down to seven.
That’s the whole turn. The decisions are all in step two, where every card is a choice between keeping it as money and using it for its effect.
Every Card Type Explained
| Card | How many | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Money | 20 | Goes in your bank. Values from 1M to 10M |
| Property | 28 | Goes in your collection. Each card shows how many of that color make a full set |
| Property wild card | 11 | Counts as either of its two colors. The two multicolored wilds count as any color but have no money value |
| Rent | 13 | Charges rent on one of your colors. Two-color rent cards charge everyone, the three any-color cards charge one player |
| Pass Go | 10 | Draw two extra cards |
| Sly Deal | 3 | Steal one property from another player, but not from a full set |
| Forced Deal | 3 | Swap one of your properties for one of another player’s, but not from a full set |
| Deal Breaker | 2 | Steal a complete set, buildings included |
| Just Say No | 3 | Cancel any action card played against you |
| Debt Collector | 3 | One player pays you 5M |
| It’s My Birthday | 3 | Every player pays you 2M |
| Double the Rent | 2 | Played with a rent card to double it |
| House / Hotel | 3 / 2 | Add 3M or 4M to the rent of a full set |
Almost every action card can be banked as money instead of played. That’s the most common rule people miss, and it changes the game.
How Paying Works
When you owe money, you pay from your bank or your property collection, never from your hand. Property cards are worth the value printed in their corner. If you can’t cover the full amount, you hand over everything you have and the rest of the debt is forgiven. Players don’t give change, so overpaying with a big card is just a loss.
The rule: cards in your hand are safe, and cards on the table are not. Money in the bank and properties on display can both be taken as payment.
The Rules People Argue About
Can Just Say No be cancelled? Yes. If someone plays a Just Say No against yours, it cancels yours, and the original action goes ahead.
Can you move wild cards? Yes. The official rules let you swap property wild cards between your sets on your turn.
Houses and hotels. One house and one hotel per full set, the hotel only after the house, and never on railroads or utilities.
Do you have to play three cards? No. Holding cards back, especially a Just Say No, is often the better move.
How to Play Monopoly Deal With 2 Players
The official rules cover 2–5 players with no changes for two, and the game works fine. With two, every action card hits the same opponent, so Deal Breakers and Just Say Nos swing harder. With no third player to share the damage, it plays like a duel. If two-player card games are your thing, our best 2-player card games list has more.
Want the base game? Monopoly Deal is one of the cheapest games we cover.
Check Monopoly Deal price on Amazon →
Once you know the rules, our Monopoly Deal strategy guide covers what to do with them, Meeple Mountain’s No Mercy review covers the meaner version’s rule changes, and BoardGameGeek’s Monopoly Deal page collects house-rule threads.
More Card Games Like This
Monopoly Deal sits in a family of quick card games we’ve covered. Cover Your Assets is the closest match for taking things off your family, Phase 10 and Uno are the other Mattel-style family staples, and our card games like Uno list ranks eight more. If you only have a regular deck, our 25 card games for a standard deck has plenty, and our best board games for families list covers the bigger boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards do you start with in Monopoly Deal?
Each player starts with five cards. On every turn you draw two more, or five if your hand is empty at the start of your turn.
How many cards can you play in a turn in Monopoly Deal?
Up to three. You can bank them as money, lay them down as properties, or play them as actions, and you can choose to play fewer than three.
Can you pay with cards in your hand in Monopoly Deal?
No. You can only pay with cards in your bank or your property collection. Cards in your hand can never be taken as payment.
What happens if you can’t pay in Monopoly Deal?
You give the other player everything you have in your bank and property collection, and the rest of the debt is forgiven. Nobody gives change.
Can you play Monopoly Deal with 2 players?
Yes. The official rules cover 2 to 5 players and two players use the same rules. Action cards hit harder because they always target the one opponent.
Can a Just Say No be blocked?
Yes. Another Just Say No cancels the first one, which lets the original action card take effect.
Can you steal a full set with Sly Deal?
No. Sly Deal and Forced Deal can’t take a card from a full set. Only Deal Breaker steals a complete set.