how do you tell if it's a swing or if you suck?

[accolades 0]

I'm sure this is a question everyone asks themselves when they are starting out... I started playing Hold'em for the first time in my life on December 9th, 2004. (My fiance got me a chip set for christmas and gave it to me before she moved to Japan) I was instantly hooked. I was taking money from all my friends so I started playing online... Mostly PartyPoker and TruePoker...I loaded up $50 into TruePoker and played in a couple tournaments. I didn't understand what a S&G was yet, so I was playing the 300 player $6+1 games... I lost, and lost some more and then I lost again. I remember just being happy to make it to the first break in the tournament, or make it to the top 150, lol. I started reading up on poker, deposited another $50, and then $50 to PartyPoker... I realized that when I lost tournaments on TruePoker I could usually go win back my buy-in from the $1/$2 tables...I was playing OK at TruePoker but losing my censored at PartyPoker's $0.50/$1.00 limit tables. Finally I switched to PartyPoker's $25 No-Limit ring games and I started to turn an actual profit! I started to feel confident when I sat down at the table, almost certain that I would walk away with more money than I sat with... I Turned my second $50 deposit into $125 (which puts me $25 in the good)Then I went to a Casino this weekend and played in 3 tournaments (about 50 contestants each) and came in third place in one of them, winning $75... I wanted to take advantage of a bonus at PacificPoker (which I am kicking myself in the censored for now, the site is awful) so I cashed out of PartyPoker and deposited $125 into Pacific, where I began playing the $10 buy-in ($0.05/$0.10 blinds) and I hate to admit it, but I played about 300 hands today and lost $30 freaking dollars... I know you have to adapt to overly loose players but I have a hard time getting away from a pocket like K J when you check as the big blind and the board comes [K J 9] [3] [8] and you find out at the show down that your opponent called everything you bet with T7o (I didn't calculate his value, it may have been a very good call on his part, this was just an example)Anyways, I'm not complaining about how the hands were played out, I'm just wondering how you can tell when you're actually doing good and just going through a swing, or when you just really suck and should hang it up before you run yourself into the ground?Thanks, you can even flame me and call me a loser, I LOVE IT!-Tim

[vegasholdem 0]

First you start off with 300 big bets relative to your table stakes...if you haven't busted out by the end of the year...then you don't suck! :) If you're simply a break even player...then you don't suck... If you're bankroll has grown..then you definitely don't suck.

[Smasharoo 0]

If you're simply a break even player...then you don't suck... Well...The rake will eat you like Godzilla.

[JFarrell20 1]

He's including the rake, Smash. Come on, you're better than this...