8♠ 10♥ J♥ Q♥ + 2♦ cut = 3 points

What the 2 of diamonds contributes

Holding 8 of spades, ten of hearts, jack of hearts, queen of hearts with the 2 of diamonds as the cut scores 3 points in the hand.

The 2 of diamonds contributes no scoring combinations. The remaining 3 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

Other available cuts of this rank: 2 of clubs (3 points); 2 of hearts (4 points); 2 of spades (3 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 0 possible cuts score less than 3, 15 score the same (including the 2 of diamonds), and 33 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 3 to 10 points, averaging 5.19 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.