A♣ 5♦ 9♦ 10♦ + A♠ cut = 8 points

What the ace of spades contributes

Holding ace of clubs, 5 of diamonds, 9 of diamonds, ten of diamonds with the ace of spades as the cut scores 8 points in the hand.

Scoring combinations involving the ace of spades contribute 4 points. The remaining 4 points come from combinations entirely within the four held cards.

• fifteen: ace of spades, 5 of diamonds, 9 of diamonds — 2 points.
• Pair: ace of clubs, ace of spades — 2 points.

Other available cuts of this rank: ace of diamonds (8 points); ace of hearts (8 points). Changing only the cut suit leaves this score unchanged.

How this cut compares

For these four held cards, 32 possible cuts score less than 8, 9 score the same (including the ace of spades), and 7 score more.

Across all 48 possible cut cards, the score ranges from 4 to 10 points, averaging 6.46 points. This comparison treats every card outside the four-card hand as equally likely; it does not exclude known discards or other seen cards.