Andy chasing Monopoly jackpot
Monopoly master Andy Shellis is hoping to swap toy money for more than 20,000 dollars of the real stuff.
The grandfather will compete in the finals of the Monopoly UK Championship next week and with it the chance to win a fortune at the World Championships in Las Vegas. By day the 59-year-old, from Fairmile Road, Halesowen works at the Redbrick Court care home in Wordsley.
But put him in front of a Monopoly board and he is transformed into a ruthless entrepreneur.
He will be aiming to bankrupt his opponents at the very apt Mayfair Hotel in Mayfair, London on Tuesday.
Famous for being the most expensive square on the board, he will be playing there for £200, the coveted title of UK champion and the chance to compete against 43 other countries in the World Championships this October in Las Vegas, where the top prize is the entire Monopoly bank – or $20,580.
Andy won his place in the Mayfair final after finishing in the top four in a knock out regional heat at Birmingham's NEC in October. The father-of-two, whose lucky token is the racing car, started to play the game when he was just eight years old and soon developed a flair as well as a beloved collection of boards.
He does not practice much at all although he has been sent a new board by the organisers to master the new speed die.
He says his secret is to snap up as much property at the beginning of the game.
Andy plays Monopoly regularly with wife Elaine and two daughters Erica, 30, and Abigail, 27, but says they do not take it as seriously as he does.
Andy says he hopes to use the cash prize to pay off his mortgage if he wins.
