Deck Types

EstimateQuest supports three estimation scales. The deck type is chosen when creating a session and cannot be changed once the session starts.

Fibonacci

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ? +

The most popular Planning Poker scale. Based on the Fibonacci sequence, the gaps between values grow as estimates increase. This reflects real-world estimation uncertainty — you can confidently distinguish a “3” from a “5”, but the difference between “18” and “21” is meaningless at that scale.

The card is unique to the Fibonacci deck and signals “I need a break.”

Best for: teams comfortable with relative sizing who want nuanced differentiation between small and medium items.

Linear

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ?

A straightforward 1–10 scale. Every value is equally spaced, making it simpler to understand and communicate.

Best for: teams new to Planning Poker, or when estimates map directly to hours/days.

T-Shirt

XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, ?

Relative sizing without numbers. T-Shirt sizing is deliberately imprecise — it encourages thinking in “buckets” rather than exact values.

Best for: early-stage estimation, epic-level sizing, or teams who find number scales too granular.

The ? Card

Available in all three decks, the ? card means “I don’t have enough information to estimate this ticket.” It signals to the moderator that more context or discussion is needed.

? votes are excluded from statistics — they don’t affect the average, median, or mode calculations.

Choosing a Deck

Consideration	Fibonacci	Linear	T-Shirt
Precision	High	Medium	Low
Range	1–21	1–10	XS–XXL
Learning curve	Low	Lowest	Lowest
Special cards	? ,	?	?
Best for	Most teams	Simple estimation	Rough sizing

When in doubt, go with Fibonacci. It’s the industry standard for a reason.