[prairieboy]

Your hand selection seems fine.

I'm quite willing to back off a hand on the flop, regardless of whether I was the preflop raiser or not (particularly hands like AK, AQ where I didn't flop a pair). Not making that pot-sized bet on the flop can save you a bundle. - NOTE - I didn't say I never do it, or that I don't bluff at these too, but I think betting out EVERY time after you raised preflop is an error.

If you don't have enough chips to follow your flop bet with another big bet on the turn, you should seriously consider going all-in on the flop.

Always betting the pot isn't a mistake, but it can be overkill when you're ahead and murder when you're behind. When I bet/raise, I try and pick an amount that will look "scary" to the other player. Sometimes, that's the pot, sometimes it's less. Watch how the other players react to other raises and try to tailor your bet amounts to your opponents.