3♦ 4♠ 5♦ 9♦ + A♠ cut = 5 points

What the ace of spades contributes

Holding 3 of diamonds, 4 of spades, 5 of diamonds, 9 of diamonds with the ace of spades as the cut scores 5 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the ace of spades contribute 2 points. The remaining 3 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: ace of spades, 5 of diamonds, 9 of diamonds — 2 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of clubs (5 points); ace of diamonds (5 points); ace of hearts (5 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 5, 31 score the same (including the ace of spades), and 17 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 5 to 12 points, averaging 6.15 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.