40 Buy-in NL Table: Even worth playing?

[lightsout5695]

Hi everyone! I am new to this board, and this is my first post, so I apologize for the length...

I have been playing about 7 months, all NLHE, mostly 1/2 (40 buy in) or 2/3 (100 buy in). For the early months, I really didn't know what I was doing and dropped a lot of money.

I feel like I got my act together, been playing recently with a renewed attitude, and I'm still dropping money.

I am totally at a loss for how to play at these 1/2 tables. I will give you an example of what happens usually. I'll wait for a premium hand, and maybe I'll get AA in the cutoff position. Most everyone will have limped in before me. Maybe I'll have about 35 behind me at this point. I'll raise to 10-12. I'll still end up getting called by 1-2 players, which I don't necessarily mind. But now I am looking at almost 40 in the pot, with about 25 behind me. If action checks to me, I go all in, shoving the 25 into a pot of 40. Unfortunately, both guys will usually call, citing "pot odds". If they are on a premium draw, they aren't necessarily making a bad call. And I will usually get sucked out on. The problem is, I don't know how else to play a hand like AA especially in position in this kind of situation. But then I can't fault a person that might have a nut flush draw for calling, cause he's getting decent pot odds (25 to win 90 or 115 in the above example).

I don't think I'm necessarily playing poorly. Last week, in one session, I played the 2/3 100 buy-in, and lost 280 dollars. I played about 3-4 big pots. Once I had heads up AK v. AQ with an A showing on the flop, all the money went in, and the guy drew a Q on the turn. On another hand, I flopped a set of Kings (I had wired) and someone drew out on me on the river for a gut shot straight. And another hand, I had an overpair to the board, someone called all-in and rivered two-pair. So I felt I played well, yet I couldn't protect my hands!

I am pretty depressed, and am wondering if my game is still the problem, or these kind of low buy in tables are just a bad bet.

Any advice, criticism, etc would be much appreciated. Thank you