Simple noob question.
 

Hello! I am new to Maya and had a very simple question.

I want to grab verts like this with the move tool
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...degreegrab.jpg

But for some reason they're grabbing like this.
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...a/shitgrab.jpg

I couldn't really find an answer for such an specific question. Thanks for the help!

You're using a NURBS cylinder, which is really 3 surfaces; a top and bottom cap, and a side. What is shown in the first image is a polygon cylinder, which is one continuous piece of geometry.

Oh man you're totally right...

Thanks for the help!

Also, do you know if I can edit hotkeys in Maya? If so, how do I get to the menu?

No problem.

Window>Settings/Preferences>Hotkey Editor.