Texas transfers bridge convention

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Everything’s big in Texas, so Texas transfers are big transfers. Under the normal Jacoby transfers, the responder to a 1 No-Trump opening bid says 2 Diamonds if he has 5 Hearts and 2 Hearts if he has 5 Spades. This is to ensure that, if the contract winds up in the suit in which the responder has five cards, the big hand of the 1 NT opener will remain hidden and will get to be the Declarer. After the 1 NT opener has “accepted” the transfer by bidding 2 of the suit in which the responder has five cards, the responder has the option of passing that 2 bid if he’s really weak, inviting to Game or bidding Game in the suit, or bidding No-Trump to give the opener the choice of a NT or suit contract.

Texas transfers go big, but take away some of those options. Using a Texas transfer, a responder to a 1 NT opening may jump directly to either 4 Diamonds or 4 Hearts (Texas transfers are not used for either of the minor suits). These Texas transfers tell the 1 NT opening partner: “Please bid 4 Hearts (or Spades). I have six of that suit, and I know we belong in Game, but I have no interest in Slam, so please don’t go on from there.”

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