A mathematics whizz has spilled the beans on the top three Monopoly squares that could skyrocket your chances of winning.

Oxford University's Professor Marcus du Sautoy has divulged that by strategically placing hotels on just a trio of properties, players can significantly increase their odds of reigning supreme in the classic board game.

The secret, he explains, lies in pinpointing the spots where opponents are most likely to land.

According to du Sautoy, the 'jail' square sees the most footfall, and since the most common dice roll to exit jail is a seven, players should focus their property acquisitions around this area.

The maths guru, who has previously delivered the renowned Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution, shared his insights on the Infinite Monkey Cage podcast: "It's the most boring game ever but I will share my mathematical strategy with you."

"Jail (is the most visited square) because there are so many ways to end up in jail but what's the most common throw of two dice (to get out of jail)? Seven is the most popular throw because there are so many ways to make a seven."

"Now seven sends you to community chest so that's not much good but six and eight are also common scores: so out of jail most people are throwing dice which sends them into the orange regions of properties."

"So my strategy is to buy up all the properties, stack them with hotels, and bankrupt everyone as they come out of jail."

The orange-coloured properties on a traditional Monopoly board, namely Bow Street, Marlborough Street, and Vine Street, could see you owing another player £14, which could skyrocket to £950 if a hotel is built on it.

Du Sautoy is highly respected for his efforts in making maths more accessible and has authored numerous books. One of these is 'Around the World in 80 Games', which unveils strategies for winning various global board games.

In 2010, he was honoured with an OBE and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016. He succeeded Richard Dawkins as the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford in 2008.