8♥ 8♠ 10♦ J♠ + 9♠ cut = 11 points

What the 9 of spades contributes

Holding 8 of hearts, 8 of spades, ten of diamonds, jack of spades with the 9 of spades as the cut scores 11 points in the hand.

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

• run of four: 8 of hearts, 9 of spades, ten of diamonds, jack of spades — 4 points.
• run of four: 8 of spades, 9 of spades, ten of diamonds, jack of spades — 4 points.
• his nob: jack of spades, 9 of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: 9 of clubs (10 points); 9 of diamonds (10 points); 9 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, 47 possible cuts score less than 11, 1 score the same (including the 9 of spades), and 0 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 2 to 11 points, averaging 4.23 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.