Poker Scenarios
What is Planning Poker?
A poker odds calculator shows you the exact odds of your hand winning in any scenario. For example, you can give yourself pocket Aces, opponent 1 pocket Kings, and opponent 2 pocket Queens. The poker odds software will then calculate how often each hand wins. A Basic Calling Scenario In a $0.05/0.10 game with $2.25 stacks before the blinds are posted, it folds to the small blind who goes all-in. We’re in the big blind and decide to call.
Planning Poker is an agile estimating and planning technique that is consensus based. To start a poker planning session, the product owner or customer reads an agile user story or describes a feature to the estimators.
Each estimator is holding a deck of Planning Poker cards with values like 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40 and 100, which is the sequence we recommend. The values represent the number of story points, ideal days, or other units in which the team estimates.
The estimators discuss the feature, asking questions of the product owner as needed. When the feature has been fully discussed, each estimator privately selects one card to represent his or her estimate. All cards are then revealed at the same time.
If all estimators selected the same value, that becomes the estimate. If not, the estimators discuss their estimates. The high and low estimators should especially share their reasons. After further discussion, each estimator reselects an estimate card, and all cards are again revealed at the same time.
The poker planning process is repeated until consensus is achieved or until the estimators decide that agile estimating and planning of a particular item needs to be deferred until additional information can be acquired.
When should we engage in Planning Poker?
Most teams will hold a Planning Poker session shortly after an initial product backlog is written. This session (which may be spread over multiple days) is used to create initial estimates useful in scoping or sizing the project.
Because product backlog items (usually in the form of user stories) will continue to be added throughout the project, most teams will find it helpful to conduct subsequent agile estimating and planning sessions once per iteration. Usually this is done a few days before the end of the iteration and immediately following a daily standup, since the whole team is together at that time anyway.
How does poker planning work with a distributed team?
Simple: go to PlanningPoker.com. Mountain Goat Software helped develop that website to offer it as a free resource to the agile community. A product owner, ScrumMaster or agile coach can log in and preload a set of items to be estimated. A private URL can then be shared with estimators who log in and join a conference call or Skype session. Agile estimating and planning then proceeds as it would in person.
Does Planning Poker work?
Absolutely. Teams estimating with Planning Poker consistently report that they arrive at more accurate estimates than with any technique they'd used before.
One reason Planning Poker leads to better estimates is because it brings together multiple expert opinions. Because these experts form a cross-functional team from all disciplines on a software project, they are better suited to the estimation task than anyone else.
After completing a thorough review of the literature on software estimation, Magne Jørgensen, Ph.D., of the Simula Research Lab concluded that “the people most competent in solving the task should estimate it.”
Second, a lively dialogue ensues during poker planning, and estimators are called upon by their peers to justify their estimates. Researchers have found that this improves estimate accuracy, especially on items with a lot of uncertainty as we find on most software projects.
Further, being asked to justify estimates has also been shown to result in estimates that better compensate for missing information. This is important on an agile project because the user stories being estimated are often intentionally vague.
Additionally, studies have shown that averaging individual estimates during agile estimating and planning leads to better results as do group discussions of estimates.
How can I get Planning Poker cards?
Planning Poker cards are available in the Mountain Goat Software store. Mountain Goat Software's branded Planning Poker cards are sold at cost as a courtesy to the agile community.
Our full-color cards are the absolute highest-quality cards available anywhere. They are manufactured by the same company that prints many of the world's most popular playing card brands, including Bicycle, Bee, and the World Poker Tour.
We also offer royalty-free licenses to organizations that wish to produce their own cards. The license is available here: https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/planning-poker/license
Recommended Resources Related To Planning Poker
- How Can We Get the Best Estimates of Story Size?
- The Best Way to Establish a Baseline When Playing Planning Poker
- Don’t Average During Planning Poker
- Agile Estimating
Courses Related To Planning Poker
Scrum Foundations Video Series
All the foundational knowledge of Scrum including: the framework, values, different roles, meetings, backlogs, and improving efficiency & quality.
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Genesis Gaming & Bravo Poker present historic 2019 TDA Summit IX at Aria Las Vegas
Sep 20, 2019 8:36 pm - Posted by Nick HillThe Bravo Poker 2019 TDA Summit IX was held June 28-29 at the beautiful Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. Aria “Poker Boss” Sean McCormack and Tournament Director Paul Campbell made certain that attendees enjoyed the best convention space along with luxurious accommodation and great entertainment. This was the 3rd TDA Summit to be hosted by Aria.
After two days of intense deliberations, the Association approved 1 new rule (player identity), significant edits to 11 rules and minor clarifications to 10 others. 4 new recommended procedures were approved along with edits to 2 procedures. One topic was changed from a rule to a recommended procedure (number of players at the final table). Several new examples were added to the Illustration Addendum where appropriate.
TDA Summit IX was presented by Genesis Gaming, developers of the industry-leading Bravo Poker Room Management System, Bravo Poker Live, and Bravo Pit Management System. On Friday night attendees took a break and socialized over the members-only tournament in the PokerGO Studio courtesy of Faded Spade Playing Cards.
Founding TDA Board Member Matt Savage notes: “The TDA was formed in 2001 on the important idea that everyone benefits from consistent poker tournament rules. The TDA Summit is the event that has made that vision a reality. Attendance is so important because every delegate has one vote”.
TDA Summit IX was made possible by The World Poker Tour, the premier name in globally televised gaming and entertainment, Faded Spade Playing Cards, the highest-quality beautiful cards for the modern era, and The Seminole Hard Rock, home of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. Many thanks for generous support from Game-On CHIPCO, The Heartland Poker Tour, The Women’s Poker Association, Windy City Poker Championship and Card Player Cruises.
Poker Hand Scenarios
Link to Poker TDA videos on Facebook