5♣ 5♦ J♠ Q♦ + 8♠ cut = 11 points

What the 8 of spades contributes

Holding 5 of clubs, 5 of diamonds, jack of spades, queen of diamonds with the 8 of spades as the cut scores 11 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 8 of spades contribute 1 points. The remaining 10 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• his nob: jack of spades, 8 of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: 8 of clubs (10 points); 8 of diamonds (10 points); 8 of hearts (10 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 24 possible cuts score less than 11, 8 score the same (including the 8 of spades), and 16 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 10 to 21 points, averaging 12.58 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.