YOUR 2nd ARTIFICIAL BID, THE TEXAS!

We saw 2♣ Stayman facing 1NT. It's a question to find out if the opener has 4 cards in a major, remember?

Today, your hand facing a 1NT opening is this one:

Your problem is to know whether your partner has (or not) at least 3 Hearts. So Stayman isn't that useful anymore because even if you ask if they have a 4-card major and they say no (or they have 4 Spades), they might have 3 Hearts... or not.

So today, no more questions: you are going to state. You will learn two different bids in response to 1NT, the "Texas" to tell the opener "I have at least 5 Hearts" and "I have at least 5 Spades."

It may seem a bit strange at first, I warn you. You have to say the bid immediately below your real suit. And that forces the opener to bid your suit whatever they have (we say "rectify the Texas").

See how it works:

Same with Spades:

As North, you can have 0 HCP, or 20 HCP! For now, we don't know, you have just announced your 5 cards (at least).

You will bid your points in a second step, by passing or by a No Trump bid after the Texas rectification, see:

Then, the opener thinks. For example, on 3NT, they pass if they have only 2 Hearts (2 + 5 = 7, no fit), and they bid 4♥ if they have at least 3 Hearts (3 + 5 = 8, the fit).

Facing 2NT, it's the same one level higher: 3♦ is a Texas for Hearts (the opener must bid 3♥) and 3♥ is a Texas for Spades (the opener must bid 3♠).

Now it's your turn with your new tools:

Deal 1

Deal 2