Playing the board is a poker term that is popularly used in Texas Hold’em games and refers to a situation when a player makes their best hand using only the five shared cards on the board. You can only play the board if the game makes it to a showdown, and the best-case scenario is you will split the pot with other players still in the game.
Play the Board Poker Example:
If you have a 6h 5c hand, and the board reads Jc Td 9h 8c 7s after the flop, you must play the board. The best possible hand in this scenario is a straight, and it doesn’t use any of your cards.