What kind of experience do you have playing poker? I'll be honest, I don't think you provided enough information to find any leaks in your game.
I will say that in a game like that (you didn't mention what the buy in is, but you did specify that it's "nothing big" so I'm guessing it's a bunch of friends hanging out) you can't wait for the good hands. If you're playing with friends that want to gamble, that's what they are going to do. I've played in several games like that where the $20 buy in is concidered entertainment money to the other guys so they don't take the game seriously. they've watched some WSOP on TV and want to play like the big guys...or they just believe they are lucky, or they believe that a night away from the wife is worth the $60 they'll lose playing poker (I used to be one of those
).
My advice would be two fold...A) loosen up your starting hand requirements. Watch what these guys are showing down and from what position (if they know what position is). In some of these games, you can get away with raising/calling AIs with Axs because they are playing any two face cards or any suited connectors...or whatever. Know your enemy.
B) Read, reread and then read again HOH 1 and 2...
If the game is shorthanded, then A will probably apply more the B, but B will really help.
I may get arguements here, but in games like this, Luck will dominate. The problem for people playing these types of games is maximizing your luck while minimizing your opponents...Good luck.