Texas Transfers: Jumping to Game in a Major Over 1NT

A Texas transfer is a jump to 4♦ or 4♥ over partner's 1NT or 2NT opening: 4♦ asks opener to bid 4♥, and 4♥ asks opener to bid 4♠. Responder shows a six-card or longer major and enough strength for game, and the notrump opener ends up as declarer.

Texas is a standard add-on to Jacoby transfers in Standard American and 2/1 Game Force, and many Acol pairs play it too. It costs almost nothing, because a natural jump to 4♦ over 1NT is a bid you would almost never need. You can see what 1NT - 4♦ means in every system.

Partner opens 1NT (15-17 in most American systems, 12-14 in traditional Acol). You hold six or more cards in a major and want to play game in it:

Opener has no choice. He accepts the transfer, even with a doubleton in your suit, because you have promised at least six cards and a 6-2 fit plays fine at the four level. There is no room for a super-accept.

After opener accepts, responder usually passes. That is the main job of Texas: a clean sign-off in game with the strong hand as declarer. The other job is to set up a slam ask: after Texas, responder's 4NT is Roman Key Card Blackwood for the major that was just agreed.

Texas works the same way over a 2NT opening and over a 2NT rebid after 2♣ - 2♦.

Both routes reach game in the major with opener as declarer. The difference is what they say about slam, and partnerships use that difference on purpose:

• Texas, then pass: "I have a six-card major and game values, and I see no slam." This is the sign-off.
• Texas, then 4NT: "Tell me your key cards." Use it when only the number of aces matters, typically with a long, solid suit and a hand where a missing ace or two is the only worry.
• Jacoby, then a jump to game (for example 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ - 4♥): in many partnerships this is a mild slam try with a six-card suit. Opener passes with a poor hand for hearts and moves on with good controls and a fit.
• Jacoby, then 3NT: five cards in the major and a balanced hand. Opener picks 4 of the major or 3NT.
• Jacoby, then a new suit: game forcing, often with slam ideas.

Not every pair plays "Jacoby then game = mild slam try". If you add Texas, agree on this point too, or Texas only does half its work.

Sign-off. You hold ♠KJ108642, ♥5, ♦Q43, ♣72. Partner opens 1NT. You have 6 HCP and seven spades. Game in spades is a good bet and slam is out of the question. Bid 4♥, partner bids 4♠, and you pass.

Slam ask. Now you hold the South hand below: 13 HCP and seven spades headed by the KQJ. Opposite a 15-17 notrump, slam is likely unless the defense can take two aces. Texas first, then 4NT.

Count the key cards: South has the ♠K and ♥A. North shows two, the ♠A and the ♦A, so only the ♣A is missing. South bids 6♠.

Now look at the clubs. North holds ♣K72 and East holds the ♣A. With North as declarer, East is on lead, and the ♣K is safe: a club lead from East comes up to the king, not through it, so declarer has time to draw trumps and take twelve tricks. If South had bid spades himself and declared, West would lead a club through the king, and the defense would take two club tricks at once. That is exactly why transfers exist: the hand with the tenaces should be the one the opening lead comes up to.

1. Forgetting it is on. The classic Texas disaster is opener passing 4♦, or passing 4♥ as natural.
2. Using Texas with a five-card suit. Opener has to bid your suit even with a doubleton, so you can land in a 5-2 fit at the four level. With five, use Jacoby and give partner the choice.
3. Texas with a hand that wants a real slam try. Texas then pass is a sign-off, and Texas then 4NT only counts key cards. With a hand where you need to know about a specific control, start with Jacoby and make a slam try below game.
4. Confusing Texas with Gerber. If you play Gerber, 4♣ stays Gerber over 1NT. Texas uses only 4♦ and 4♥.

South African Texas is the main variant. It uses 4♣ to show hearts and 4♦ to show spades. It leaves 4♥ free for other meanings (for example a natural 4♥), and a minor-suit transfer is hard to mistake for a natural bid. The cost is that 4♣ can no longer be Gerber.

After interference, agreements differ. Many pairs keep Texas on after a double of 1NT and after a two-level overcall, so a jump to 4♦ still shows hearts. Agree it in advance: an auction like 1NT - (2♠) - 4♦ is not the time to guess.

Texas decisions are quick at the table, but the slam follow-ups are where points are won and lost. In the BridgeDummy Bidding Room you bid random deals with EPBot robots, so long-major hands opposite 1NT come up naturally and you can check your choice against the full deal afterward. To test whether a 6-2 game really beats 3NT on a given holding, our free double dummy analyzer shows how many tricks each contract takes on any deal you enter.

• Stayman convention: finding four-card major fits opposite 1NT.
• Roman Key Card Blackwood: the 4NT ask after Texas.
• Puppet Stayman: finding five-card majors over 2NT.