5♠ 6♠ 8♠ 9♠ + 7♥ cut = 13 points

What the 7 of hearts contributes

Holding 5 of spades, 6 of spades, 8 of spades, 9 of spades with the 7 of hearts as the cut scores 13 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 7 of hearts contribute 7 points. The remaining 6 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: 7 of hearts, 8 of spades — 2 points.
• run of five: 5 of spades, 6 of spades, 7 of hearts, 8 of spades, 9 of spades — 5 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: 7 of clubs (13 points); 7 of diamonds (13 points); 7 of spades (14 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 44 possible cuts score less than 13, 3 score the same (including the 7 of hearts), and 1 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 6 to 14 points, averaging 9.35 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.