9♠ 10♣ 10♥ J♠ + 5♠ cut = 15 points

What the 5 of spades contributes

Holding 9 of spades, ten of clubs, ten of hearts, jack of spades with the 5 of spades as the cut scores 15 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the 5 of spades contribute 7 points. The remaining 8 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: 5 of spades, ten of clubs — 2 points.
• fifteen: 5 of spades, ten of hearts — 2 points.
• fifteen: 5 of spades, jack of spades — 2 points.
• his nob: jack of spades, 5 of spades — 1 point.

Other available cuts of this rank: 5 of clubs (14 points); 5 of diamonds (14 points); 5 of hearts (14 points). The cut suit changes the score here because of a flush or nobs.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 39 possible cuts score less than 15, 2 score the same (including the 5 of spades), and 7 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 8 to 16 points, averaging 10.52 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.