Scrum poker for Scrum teams
Scrum poker is the way most Scrum teams size their backlog: every Developer picks a card in private, everyone reveals at once, and the team talks through the differences before agreeing on a size. Planning Poker Web gives you a free scrum poker room in about a minute.
Free. No credit card. Guests need no account.
What scrum poker is
Scrum poker is another name for planning poker (you will also see "pointing poker"). Each person who will do the work chooses a card for the size of a backlog item, usually on a Fibonacci scale. The cards are revealed together, so nobody is swayed by the first number said out loud, and the people with the highest and lowest cards explain their reasoning. The team then re-votes until it agrees. The full method is in our step-by-step guide.
What the Scrum Guide actually says
It is worth being precise, because a lot of articles are not.
It does not require scrum poker
The Scrum Guide does not mention planning poker, story points, or even the word "estimate".
It says who sizes the work
The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for sizing it. The Product Owner can influence them, by helping them understand and choose trade-offs, but does not set the size.
Sizing happens in refinement
Refinement is an ongoing activity where backlog items get more detail, an order and a size.
So scrum poker is not a Scrum rule. It is one of the most popular ways for Developers to do the sizing the guide asks of them, because it gives everyone an equal voice and brings disagreement into the open. Story points are optional too: see what story points are, and are not.
Where scrum poker fits in your sprint
| Scrum moment | Role of scrum poker |
|---|---|
| Product Backlog refinement | The main place to use it: size upcoming items so they are ready before planning |
| Sprint Planning | Quick re-votes on items that changed, or that were never sized |
| Async, between events | Distributed teams vote on their own time against a deadline, then discuss only the outliers |
| Sprint Retrospective | Not for sizing. Use the same room's retro board to review how estimation went |
Sizing in refinement, not in Sprint Planning, keeps planning short: the team arrives with items it has already discussed. Teams across time zones can do it asynchronously.
Who votes, and who does not
| Role | In scrum poker |
|---|---|
| Developers | Vote. Everyone who will do the work: engineers, testers, designers |
| Product Owner | Explains the item and answers questions. Does not vote |
| Scrum Master | Facilitates: keeps time and makes sure the quiet voices speak. Votes only if also a Developer |
| Stakeholders | Can watch as spectators, without voting |
The Product Owner and Scrum Master parts are common practice, not rules from the Scrum Guide. Adapt them to your team.
Scrum poker without the busywork
Free, no caps
No limit on votes, tasks or rooms, no ads and no credit card.
Guests join from a link
Developers vote without creating an account.
Votes hidden until the reveal
Enforced by the server, so nobody anchors on the first number.
Your deck
Fibonacci, modified Fibonacci, T-shirt sizes or a custom deck.
Jira, Linear and ClickUp
Import the backlog and send the agreed size back to the issue.
Retro board in the same room
Ready for the Sprint Retrospective, with action items tracked sprint after sprint.
More on what is free, why Fibonacci and planning poker for Jira.
Frequently asked questions
Is scrum poker the same as planning poker?
Yes. Scrum poker, planning poker and pointing poker are names for the same technique: private votes, a simultaneous reveal and a discussion of the differences.
Is scrum poker part of the Scrum framework?
No. The Scrum Guide does not prescribe any sizing technique. It says the Developers who will do the work are responsible for sizing it, and scrum poker is a popular way to do that.
When should a Scrum team play scrum poker?
Mostly during Product Backlog refinement, so items are sized before Sprint Planning. Use it in Sprint Planning only for items that changed or were never sized.
Does the Product Owner vote in scrum poker?
Usually not. The Product Owner explains the items and answers questions. The size comes from the Developers who will do the work.
Does the Scrum Master vote?
Usually not. The Scrum Master facilitates the session. If the Scrum Master is also a Developer on the team, they vote as a Developer.
Do we have to use story points?
No. The Scrum Guide does not mention story points. Many teams use them with a Fibonacci deck, but T-shirt sizes or any relative scale work too.
Is this scrum poker tool free?
Yes. Planning Poker Web is free, with no limits on votes, tasks or rooms, no ads and no credit card. Guests join from a link without an account.
Size your next refinement in minutes
Free. No credit card. Guests need no account.