Definition
Plain language
The shared cards dealt face-up in the middle of a poker table that every player can use to build their hand.
As stated in the literature
In community-card poker like Texas Hold'em, the shared cards revealed in stages — three on the flop, one on the turn, one on the river — that all players combine with their private cards; their structure (the board texture) drives most postflop decisions.
Why it matters: Because everyone shares these cards, reading the board is central to judging how strong your hand really is relative to what opponents could be holding.
For example, if the shared cards in the middle show three hearts, every player at the table can use them, so anyone holding two more hearts has a flush.