(Almost) Everything I Know about Testing I Learned Playing Poker

When I was in high school, I always enjoyed weekly poker games with my friends. As I began my testing career, I realized many poker skills that I honed years ago are similar to those I need to be a good software tester. In poker, resource allocation (betting with chips) is easier knowing if your opponent has won a World Series of Poker bracelet or if he is a novice. In testing, it helps to know how much business, testing, and technical knowledge each team member has so you can allocate resources efficiently and effectively. After every turn of the cards and bet, I was conducting risk assessments, planning how I wanted to play the next hand, and adjusting when needed (but not following a plan to the letter). This was critical to my success. Matthew Eakins says he might not have learned everything about software testing playing poker in his youth, but poker did teach him many of the fundamentals. Come listen to Matthew’s story. We bet you’ll be impressed.