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I headed back to Caesars Palace yesterday afternoon for the 2009 Monopoly World Championships.

It is the first time the event has ever been held in Las Vegas, and given its rarity, I wanted to see it for myself.

The Vegas game marks the 13th annual Championship, and since 1973 this event has been held in cities throughout the world quadrennially (every 4 years).  Eat your heart out Olympics.

There are 41 players participating, and the champion gets 20,580 US Dollars, which equals roughly 2 Euros.

The event began yesterday, and a winner will be crowned today.

I spent about two hours observing the MWC, and what struck me more than anything was the overwhelming media presence.  About 90% of the non-players were media, with staff and players’ families making up the balance.  I was possibly the only person in the entire room who was simply a curious observer.

On either side of the competition floor were two-row bleachers which were quite comfortable. I spent the majority of my spectator time hanging out in the bleachers with my laptop and waiting for something exciting to happen.

Behind each set of bleachers were two areas where the public could sit down and play Monopoly, but there was a problem here.  There was no public.  The game rooms were inviting and very nicely arranged, but there was simply nobody to play with.

Now, I’m rarely critical of people who put on events because I realize the time and expense involved and I appreciate their efforts, but I would be remiss if I did not identify some key problems of the MWC from a spectator’s point of view.

First of all, the conference room in which the tournament is being held is woefully hard to find.  Add the fact that few Caesars’ employees even know that it’s taking place, and you have an event which will almost certainly be poorly-attended.

Lack of promotion was not the only problem I encountered.

When I entered the convention hall, I was stopped by a Secret Service-looking security guard with an in-ear monitor.

He informed me that I could not enter the halls.  I explained to him that I was going to the Monopoly Championships, and he said “That is a private tournament, sir, you cannot go to it without a badge”.

“No”, I explained, “You are misinformed.  It is open to the public.  Not only is it open to the public, but the first 600 of us get freaking T-shirts”.

He looked at me for a few seconds, then said “Oh, okay, go ahead”.

Imagine the average tourist, however.

Are they going to dispute the guard who tells them that the event is private and off-limits?

My guess is that they will not, and they will merely turn around and go elsewhere.  Certainly this accounted for at least some of the poor attendance.

Once inside the venue, the more immediate problem was the lack of an emcee.  Who were the people in front of me?  What moves were they making?  What is going on?  Who has the most money?  Who has the most properties?  Who just put a hotel on Park Place?  What number did they roll on the dice?

The majority of the time, you simply don’t know.  You can try to keep track of what is going on by keeping your eyes glued to one of the two giant monitors, but you have to be very educated about the game to follow it yourself.

An announcer or a hype man would have gone a long way toward building some enthusiasm and anticipation, but as it was, there were just a bunch of guys in the middle of the room playing a board game while surrounded by camera crews.

I really wish I could say that the event was spectator-friendly and had a nice turnout, but there were just too many obstacles to overcome for the average tourist to get into the venue, and even less information upon arriving.

I curiously watched the camera crews and staff, and I found the Championship interesting from a production standpoint … but not terribly exciting otherwise.

As to the gameplay itself, there were brief moments of applause and excitement, but I found myself confused about what was taking place.  Again, this is where an announcer would have proved invaluable.  I would have really liked to have had some kind of play analysis.

I have not played Monopoly since I was about ten years old.  I remember the basic rules of the game, but I lack the depth of knowledge to fully understand competitive strategy.

As a practical matter, I don’t have the slightest idea how a person could use strategy to win a board game that involves rolling dice, but since all games require a large element of luck, I’m sure there is a method to it.

Even though it wasn’t the most thrilling competition to witness live, I’m sure it will play out much better when it is televised.  Supposedly, a movie is also being made about the Monopoly World Championships, so perhaps some of the Vegas footage will make it into the final cut.

Last but not least, I was not lying to the security guard.  They really were giving out t-shirts, and I was one of the first 600 spectators.  Hell, I think I was one of the first 6.

Lock up your daughters and chain your girlfriends to the radiator folks, because when I walk down The Boulevard in this bad boy, you know some skirts are going to come up and some panties are going to drop.

Overall, the Monopoly World Championships was a bit like watching a television show being taped.  Hours of boredom interspersed with brief moments of entertainment.  It is interesting, but certainly not exciting.

Since the event is infrequent, it may be worth a trip if the Championships ever land in your hometown.  This is especially true if you are a huge fan of the game.

Most people, however, would probably be better served by catching it on cable … or even better, YouTube.

Obviously, the most important aspect of the Tournament is the people who play in it.  As I write this, we have 41 people from 41 countries all coming together to pursue a common interest, and they are doing it in a city that desperately needs every shred of good publicity it can get.

In the end, this is all that matters.

Congratulations to the winner of the Monopoly World Championships, and by all means … feel free to drop some of those twenty G’s here locally before getting on the plane.

Garth Brooks isn’t cheap.

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