4♠ 7♠ 8♥ Q♣ + 6♦ cut = 5 points

What the 6 of diamonds contributes

Holding 4 of spades, 7 of spades, 8 of hearts, queen of clubs with the 6 of diamonds as the cut scores 5 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 6 of diamonds contribute 3 points. The remaining 2 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• run of three: 6 of diamonds, 7 of spades, 8 of hearts — 3 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: 6 of clubs (5 points); 6 of hearts (5 points); 6 of spades (5 points). Changing only the cut suit leaves this score unchanged.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 31 possible cuts score less than 5, 8 score the same (including the 6 of diamonds), and 9 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 2 to 6 points, averaging 3.88 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.