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Jacoby/Texas and follow-up
A Jacoby Transfer shows 5+ cards in the major. 1NT-2
or 2NT-3 shows 5+ hearts and could be 0 points. 1NT-2
or 2NT-3 shows 5+ spades and 0+ points. I would remove 1NT (via a transfer) to 2 with:
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2.
In this article, I recommend always transferring with a 5-card major.
After you transfer, a new suit bid is natural (4+ cards) and forcing to Game. If you transfer and then bid notrump, you are usually balanced (5-3-3-2) and offering partner a choice. 1NT-2-2-2NT offers him a choice of 4 contracts (2NT, 3, 3NT or 4). If you transfer to 2 and raise to 3, it is invitational to game with 6+ trumps (1NT-2-2-3).
What about Texas? 1NT-4 shows 6+ and opener must (100%) bid 4. Similarly, 1NT-4 shows 6+ spades. These bids are usually used to sign-off in game.
That means that 1NT-2-2-4 should have a special meaning. It can't be a pure signoff, because responder would have used Texas. So, this is a slam invitation (usually with no shortness). With shortness, you can transfer and then Splinter (1NT-2-2-4 -- to show 6+, 0-1 and slam interest).
Jacoby followed by 4NT should be Quantitative (invitational, typically 5-3-3-2). Texas followed by 4NT should be RKC.
Quiz Archives
Name That Convention
I am known to be a non-fan of conventions. KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart).
However, some of my readers just love conventions.
Here is a quiz to test your knowledge.
Click Here for Larry's new book on Conventions.
Who makes the conventional bid?
Opener, overcaller, responder, advancer.
When learning a convention, it’s important to recognize which position uses the convention: the opening bidder, the overcaller (first person to bid for the non-opening side), the responder (partner of the opener) or the advancer (partner of the overcaller). Some conventions are only played by one of the positions and some can be played by any position. Do you know which is which?
Which positions can use these conventions:
Keycard Blackwood
Blackwood is one of the most important conventions you can play. When I talk about Blackwood, I am referring to Roman Keycard Blackwood. Asking for aces only isn’t nearly as helpful, so if you haven’t upgraded to keycard, read this article. Playing Blackwood is simple, but knowing how to use it correctly isn’t. Follow-ups can ask for the queen of trump or for kings. Picking the right path after bidding 4NT is its own adventure. For this quiz, our responses will be 1430, though if you choose to play 3014, that is a fine system as well.
Bridge Terminology
When learning Bridge, it can seem like there are millions of new terms that can be tough to follow. As you get better and better, the terms get more and more obscure. In this quiz, we'll start easy and then get to very tough vocabulary questions. Knowing these terms won't make you a better player, but it will help you follow bridge writing or high-level discussion.