Monopolisto Man Cracks Vegas THREE

Yes, we are at a possible tipping point. The Mexican has spent his stake and some of it has been an utter waste because MM has grabbed the third of the triad and prevented monopoly creation.

MM has also auctioned off expensive properties and purchased expensive properties at a discount owing to the straitened circumstances of the Mexican.

The Mexican is beginning to sweat. He reminds MM of a Mexican who once transfixed all of Binions by winning close to a million playing single deck blackjack. Using piles of hundreds and causing a run from the table to the cage to tun it all into chips. Binions was something back then.

Monopolisto Man rolls up his sleeves, body lingo for an incipient kill.

But first, the legend of the dice. Our Mexican manages to land on O'Hare Airport which would be his third such property. MM cannot allow this and so wins it at auction, causing the Mexican to mortgage several properties to elicit  a high bid. But then our Mexican rolls ten and lands at the final airport and buys it outright.

So he has three airports and now both players are relatively poor. It remains to be seen whether there will be a kill and who might be the victim.

It doesn't take long. We dicker on properties until I have two of three on three consecutive cheap spots and he has no prospect of a monopoly anywhere. With only three airports that can exact only a million in rent, he is cooked. I offer him an out. I will take a mere half of his $10 k if he will concede. Nothing doing.

We shall see if there is any way he can get out of this.

It doesn't look like it. He actually lands on a spot that would give me a monopoly if I could own it. Instead of buying it he auctions it off! I naturally buy it for an inflated price. I now have a complete assurance of victory.

He is offering me trades a mile a minute and I am not even looking at his offers. He looks at e with curiosity and holds the look for at least a minute. I avoid it. The spectators whisper.

I then reprise my offer of a half price concession. Nothing doing. He is not mad, just stubborn. Or drunk. Or both.

He snags a little utility. If he had two, he could make some money, but not enough to do any real harm.

This a point at which the game gets boring. A fait accompli. But one needs to finish off the opponent.

I do not even need the Ten K. I will probably play slots or something and lose some of it. Maybe buy a good dinner. Or take a bus to Boulder City. I wonder if this is really what I want to be doing with my life.

I take a deep breath and play on. There is one faint chance for the Mexican. I did not notice that Mall move. The two spots with the Mall - Opry and Gateway - are open. Should he snag them, he would have a monopoly.

I make up my mind to hit one of these spots ASAP. We'll get to that part of it later.I mean the intuitive part where I influence results in my mind before the dice are rolled.

Turns out he hits Grand old Opry and threatens. It takes me three times around the layout to finally score Gateway Arch. Which is the game. To make matters worse, I gain my third (Centennial) monopoly on the very next roll. Three zip and nothing but an impotent triad of airports in my way.

It is almost, as I say, too easy.