5♠ 6♠ 8♠ 9♠ + A♠ cut = 11 points

What the ace of spades contributes

Holding 5 of spades, 6 of spades, 8 of spades, 9 of spades with the ace of spades as the cut scores 11 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the ace of spades contribute 9 points. The remaining 2 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: ace of spades, 5 of spades, 9 of spades — 2 points.
• fifteen: ace of spades, 6 of spades, 8 of spades — 2 points.
• Flush 5-card: 5 of spades, 6 of spades, 8 of spades, 9 of spades, ace of spades — 5 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of clubs (10 points); ace of diamonds (10 points); ace 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, 35 possible cuts score less than 11, 7 score the same (including the ace of spades), and 6 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.