Help me with the basics please.

[Dr_Doctr]

In hand 1 the CO is very short and obviously an idiot so I like a crai on the turn.

In hand 2 yes, you definitely need to raise this turn and it is very very standard to do so. Make it 10. If he has a bigger A or even any A you have him crushed. Calling here is really, really, horrible because you're not charging him if he's drawing and are giving him implied odds all the way to the bank - also, you're not building a large pot when you're very likely way ahead and should be looking for a way to get all the money in the middle. In NL you need to protect your hand because if people hit you won't lose only a BB or 2 like in limit - you'll lose your stack. You need to keep an eye on stack sizes at all times.

You should get a good introductory NL book - the 2+2 one is pretty good - theory and practice. I used to play limit exclusively at one time and it can be a major change.