Play the Board

Play the Board Meaning – Using Only Community Cards in Poker

Playing the board is a commonly used term in community card poker variations. When a poker player is playing the board, they are making the best hand only by using the five community cards on the table.

They aren’t combining either of their hole cards to make their best hand.

It’s not possible to win a poker hand by playing the board because this hand is available to all players at the poker table. So, splitting the pot is the best outcome a player playing the board can hope for.