3♦ 7♦ 9♣ J♠ + 7♠ cut = 3 points

What the 7 of spades contributes

Holding 3 of diamonds, 7 of diamonds, 9 of clubs, jack of spades with the 7 of spades as the cut scores 3 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 7 of spades contribute 3 points. The remaining 0 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• Pair: 7 of diamonds, 7 of spades — 2 points.
• his nob: jack of spades, 7 of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: 7 of clubs (2 points); 7 of hearts (2 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 29 possible cuts score less than 3, 7 score the same (including the 7 of spades), and 12 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 0 to 6 points, averaging 2.21 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.