7♣ 10♥ J♠ Q♦ + 3♠ cut = 4 points

What the 3 of spades contributes

Holding 7 of clubs, ten of hearts, jack of spades, queen of diamonds with the 3 of spades as the cut scores 4 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 3 of spades contribute 1 points. The remaining 3 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• his nob: jack of spades, 3 of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: 3 of clubs (3 points); 3 of diamonds (3 points); 3 of hearts (3 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 15 possible cuts score less than 4, 11 score the same (including the 3 of spades), and 22 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 3 to 10 points, averaging 5.15 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.