When your partner opens the bidding with One No Trump, they describe their hand very precisely. This allows you, the responder, to use special, artificial bids called conventions to explore for the best contract. In this deck, we'll master the two most important ones: Stayman and Jacoby Transfers.

Let's start with the Stayman convention. Its sole purpose is to ask the 1NT opener if they hold a four-card suit in one of the majors, which are hearts and spades. Finding an eight-card fit in a major suit is often better than playing in No Trumps.

To use the Stayman convention, the responder bids Two Clubs. This bid is artificial; it says nothing about your club suit. It is a coded question asking your partner about their major suits.

You should generally use Stayman only when you have at least invitational values, typically 8 or more points, and at least one four-card major suit. Without a four-card major, there's no point asking your partner if they have one.