QA-What to do in a bad beat?

I finally got up the courage to play in a casino last weekend.  I bought in for $100 at a 1/2 No limit game.  I’m pretty conservative and played it pretty tight and built myself to almost $500 after about 5 hours of play. 

I was then dealt a pair of pocket 7′s and made it $20 to go pre-flop with 2 callers.  The flop came up 3-5-7 (with no flush draws).  I bet $25, first player calls & the 2nd player who has me covered, raises all in.  I was pretty sure he didn’t have 4-6 so there were only 2 cards in the deck that could beat me or 4 if he had 2 pair.  The only argument going through my head was did I really want to risk all the chips I had worked so hard to acquire on one hand.  But looking at the odds and the chance to double up I called.  He turned over pocket jacks & hit a jack on the river to beat me & send me to bed. 

What should I do next time in that situation? 

Mark

 
Mark –

And I’ll bet you had some trouble getting to sleep, too. But don’t despair! You made exactly the right choice at exactly the right time. Most important, you didn’t cower out, just to protect a big win. I like that gutsy approach. The other guy, by the way, probably made the right choice by coming over the top.

No doubt he thought he had the best hand – usually in that situation he would. He hit a two outer to beat you, but you know what? That happens. It’s not your first bad beat, I’m sure, and it sure as heck won’t be your last.

I’m sorry you didn’t have a big profit to show for your first casino foray, but if you keep betting with the best of it, the luck will even out, and you’ll come out ahead in the end.