[SmackeytheFrog]

In my first home game 1-2 NL foray, I am not sure whether I could have gotten away with this hand. Tell me where my own errors are.

#1 - bought in light. $300 max, I bought in $100. This led to a nit image (not inaccurate I think) where I dwindled to $35, sdoubling through the monster with QQ vs JJ, then again dwindling to a lucjky nut str8 flop against a 6 way preflop raise field, with 4 staying to river, so I'm up to $180.

Soon after getting some life, I wake up to AA UTG. I make standard raise at this table to $12. One call from cutoff who is a speculator and will sometimes go beyond flop with nothing, but not often. BB also calls.

Q44 flop. BB checks, I bet $25, cutoff calls, BB folds.

I do not make him for a lone 4, and if it's quads, so be it. I can reasonably put him on AQ, based on prior play.

Turn is Jack. I push with $142. He insta calls and slams down JJ. River no help.

#1 - did I underbet the flop?
#2 - since he showed interest on flop, should I check turn to see what he does?
#3 - why would I be so dumb as to buyin short?