2♠ 4♦ 5♥ 8♦ + A♠ cut = 4 points

What the ace of spades contributes

Holding 2 of spades, 4 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, 8 of diamonds with the ace of spades as the cut scores 4 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the ace of spades contribute 2 points. The remaining 2 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: ace of spades, 2 of spades, 4 of diamonds, 8 of diamonds — 2 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of clubs (4 points); ace of diamonds (4 points); ace of hearts (4 points). Changing only the cut suit leaves this score unchanged.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 0 possible cuts score less than 4, 28 score the same (including the ace of spades), and 20 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 4 to 8 points, averaging 5.08 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.