Play the board in poker means your best possible hand is made entirely from the five community cards on the table—none of your hole cards improve your hand. If everyone is playing the board, then the hand is automatically a tie, unless someone has a better hand using their own cards.
This situation comes up most often in Texas Hold’em, where five community cards are shared. If the board reads something like A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦ and you’re holding two black cards, you still have a royal flush—by playing the board.
It’s not always a good thing, though. If you’re playing the board and someone else can beat it using just one of their hole cards, they win.
It’s a handy concept to know—especially when deciding whether to bet, check, or fold in those tricky, tied-up spots.
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