3♣ 5♥ 8♦ Q♥ + A♦ cut = 2 points

What the ace of diamonds contributes

Holding 3 of clubs, 5 of hearts, 8 of diamonds, queen of hearts with the ace of diamonds as the cut scores 2 points in the hand.

The ace of diamonds contributes no scoring combinations. The remaining 2 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of clubs (2 points); ace of hearts (2 points); ace of spades (2 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 2, 12 score the same (including the ace of diamonds), and 36 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 2 to 7 points, averaging 4.33 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.