Secret to winning Monopoly revealed by expert — and it’s all about jail time

All is fair in love and Monopoly.

Just in time for those long winter nights at home, an Oxford academic specializing in mathematics has revealed key strategies to help lovers of the Parker Brothers’ world-famous Atlantic City-themed board game pave their way to victory.

Plot twist — snagging the cvoveted Boardwalk and Park Place won’t guarantee your success, according to Marcus du Sautoy, also the author of “Around the World in 80 Games.”

Skip those prized properties, which have been known to bankrupt many a player, du Sautoy told the Sun — and think orange, he urges.

And why exactly St. James Place, along with New York and Tennessee Avenues? It’s all about their position on the board relative to jail, the expert claims.

This constitutes a double threat, seeing as the hated spot on the board is commonly occupied, both by those who have landed in jail, and by those “just visiting.”

Players leaving jail, on the bottom left corner of the board, are most inclined to throw a six, seven, or eight, Sautoy says.

Even though a seven would land on Community Chest in between the orange boxes, the odds are still in the proprietor’s favor.

With hotels built after putting up the prerequisite four houses, St. James Place and Tennessee Avenues cost opponents $950 per stay, while New York Avenue goes for $1,000. Not Boardwalk money, but it adds up.

Reigning Monopoly world champion Nicolò Falcone corroborates this method’s success rate, also advising that players invest in the game’s four railroads — a decent value at $200 apiece. Don’t skimp on utilities, both priced at $150, either, per Falcone.

The champ also stressed to Reader’s Digest that being the first to build houses gives a major edge in the board game and that investing in hotels doesn’t pay for itself.

“If one of your opponents lands on a three-house property, that, alone could bankrupt them,” he said.