5♣ 9♣ J♣ J♠ + A♠ cut = 9 points

What the ace of spades contributes

Holding 5 of clubs, 9 of clubs, jack of clubs, jack of spades with the ace of spades as the cut scores 9 points in the hand.

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

• fifteen: ace of spades, 5 of clubs, 9 of clubs — 2 points.
• his nob: jack of spades, ace of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of clubs (9 points); ace of diamonds (8 points); ace of hearts (8 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 30 possible cuts score less than 9, 9 score the same (including the ace of spades), and 9 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 6 to 15 points, averaging 8.54 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.