Monopoly Tournament Benefits Habitat for Humanity

For the fourth straight year Ron and Susan Associates hosted the Lorton Monopoly tournament at on Lorton Market Street, with this year’s version the largest yet.

Over 100 competitors, some more serious than others, signed up to do battle on Boardwalk, St. James Place and Marvin Gardens and other locales made famous by the Parker Brothers’ board game. According to Ron Kowalski, who organized the event with Susan Borrelli, fees from the competition will benefit Habitat for Humanity in Arlington. Kowalski said that at least $5,000 was raised, a new record.

Play was fast and furious at 20 tables in the first round. The top two players at each table advanced to the second round and those players were then narrowed down to the final table, which featured six players.

Players came from across the Washington, DC metro area, with the crowd favorite being 10-year-old Kendall Gates from Columbia, Maryland, who made it to the final table and finished in fourth place overall.

After all the rolls of dice, trades, mortgages and building were complete, the winner was Bernard Sloan of Hampton, Virginia, who took home the $500 first place prize (in real money). Second and third place earned $250 and $100 respectively. Sloan’s key to victory? “Being lucky and aggressive,” he said.

Kowalski was overwhelmed with the response and expects that next year the competition may have to move to larger venue to accommodate all the interest. "A nice problem to have," he said.

Note – The author did participate in the competition, but was eliminated in the first round, having made the mistake of choosing to sit at the same table as a former champ and the players who eventually finished first and second this year.