Pretty much anyone who has ever played the game Monopoly already knows about the two types of cards you get to draw – Community Chest and Chance.
Most people probably only know that the Get Out Of Jail Free card is a Chance card, but there is a lot more to those Chance cards.
So, buckle up and get ready to learn everything that there is to know about the deck of Chance cards in Monopoly.
How Many Chance Spaces Are There On A Monopoly Board?
Chance spaces on the game board are typically marked with a giant question mark.
The spaces on the game board where the Chance spaces are located are as follows:
- 1st Space: Between Oriental Avenue and Vermont Avenue
- 2nd Space: Between Kentucky Avenue and Indiana Avenue
- 3rd Space: Between Short Line and Park Place
What Are Chance Cards In Monopoly?
In the game of Monopoly, there are some spaces that you can land on that instruct you to draw a card from one two special decks.
Chance cards are one of those two decks.
In classic editions of Monopoly, which is the version that I grew up playing, the Chance cards are all orange with nothing on the back and the actionable side has a little illustration of the Monopoly man with your game play instructions.
Drawing a Chance card during game play typically means that the player will need to move their game piece on the board, often with negative consequences like going directly to jail.
Many Chance cards also result in the player needing to pay a fine to the bank.
History Of Chance Cards In Monopoly Board Games
While the deck of Chance cards has always been included in the game of Monopoly, it has undergone some changes.
Of course, there have always been some minor differences between the US version and the UK version of these cards.
However, the only really big change to the cards took place in 2021.
Chance Cards That Have Been Discontinued
For whatever reason, there have been a few Chance cards that Hasbro has discontinued over the years.
Here’s a look at those discontinued cards:
- Pay poor tax of $15
- Parking fine $15
- Pay school tax of $150
- Your Xmas fund matures. Collect $100
- MONEY GRAB! Take all $100 bills from the Bank, and throw them in the air! All players race to catch them. Keep what you catch, and put any bills that land back in the Bank.
- You have won a crossword competition. Collect £100
- Drunk in Charge fine £20
About The MONEY GRAB Chance Card
The MONEY GRAB card remains the weirdest Chance card to ever appear in a deck for Monopoly, at least in my opinion.
This Chance card started showing up in Monopoly board games in 2018, and it actually replaced the Bank pays you dividend of $50 card.
As you can see in the image, the directions on this Chance card state:
Take all $100 bills from the Bank, and throw them in the air! All players race to catch them. Keep what you catch, and put any bills that land back in the Bank
The timing of this card appearing in the Chance deck coincides with the release of the Monopoly Cash Grab Game, which features a gun to blast Monopoly cash in the air during game play.
As you might imagine, this new card did not go over well with player who were used to playing Monopoly without a cash grab.
Here’s some what board gamers on Reddit had to say about this limited edition Chance card:
The newer versions of monopoly are trying to take strategy clean out of the game?!
Reddit
And my favorite hot take on this Chance card introduced in 2018 –
I got three monopoly versions fro Christmas, Voice, Cheaters, and Classic. I’m super pissed off, because I’m aware of the new chance card “Cash Grab” (which is replaced by the one where the bank pays you $50 BTW), but I thought it wouldn’t be, you see, the new boards have a giant logo on them, saying they have the new chance card and I absolutely hate this card. For 3 reasons
1. It replaces a card instead of just being an addition
2. It forces you to have to get up for no reason during an otherwise pretty sit down game.
3. THIS IS JUST BEGGING FOR RIPPED, CRINKLED, OR LOST $100s!!!!!
I can almost deal with it, except for the fact that that one I got for Christmas, had no big sticker on the front, so I thought I was in the clear. The absolute worst part of this ordeal, is that there was no indication whatsoever, that this game has the ridiculous, idiotic, rage inducing, fucking new card.
One might say, oh just play without it, or oh, just pretend it’s the other card, but it’s not about that, it’s the principle, and the fact that no matter what I do, I’m not playing a truly honest, 100% all the pieces there, correct, up to date, newest version of monopoly
Reddit
Needless to say, the MONEY GRAB card was not well received, so it is a good thing that it was discontinued after the promotion for the Monopoly Cash Grab Game.
How Many Chance Cards Are There In Monopoly?
Though the deck of Chance cards looks pretty thick, there are less of these cards than you might expect.
The game of Monopoly has a total of 16 Chance cards.
What Happens When You Run Out Of Chance Cards In Monopoly?
During regular game play, you may end up going through the entire deck of Chance cards.
The official rules don’t really advise you on what to do in such an instance.
However, the generally accepted rules of play are to reshuffle the deck of Chance cards when you run out during a game.
Can You Buy A Property From A Chance Card In Monopoly?
When you land on a Chance space in Monopoly, the card you draw may instruct you to move to another space on the board.
If that space you move to is an unowned property, then, Yes, you can buy a property from a Chance card.
How Big Are The Chance Cards In Monopoly?
For the deck of 16 cards in the Chance card pile, the dimensions are as follows:
- 3 1/8 inches tall (8 cm)
- 2 inches wide (5 cm)
List Of Monopoly Chance Cards
The list below is for the traditional deck of Chance cards in the game.
- Advance to Go (Collect $200)
- Advance to Illinois Ave—If you pass Go, collect $200
- Advance to St. Charles Place – If you pass Go, collect $200
- Advance token to nearest Utility. If unowned, you may buy it from the Bank. If owned, throw dice and pay owner a total ten times the amount thrown.
- Advance token to the nearest Railroad and pay owner twice the rental to which he/she {he} is otherwise entitled. If Railroad is unowned, you may buy it from the Bank.
- Bank pays you dividend of $50
- Get Out of Jail Free
- Go Back 3 Spaces
- Go to Jail–Go directly to Jail–Do not pass Go, do not collect $200
- Make general repairs on all your property–For each house pay $25–For each hotel $100
- Pay poor tax of $15
- Take a trip to Reading Railroad–If you pass Go, collect $200
- Take a walk on the Boardwalk–Advance token to Boardwalk
- You have been elected Chairman of the Board–Pay each player $50
- Your building and loan matures—Collect $150
- You have won a crossword competition—Collect $100
Final Word
As you can see, there is a lot to learn about the Chance cards in Monopoly.
And depending on the version of the board game that you own, there may be variations other than what is listed here.