10-20 limit hold'em and we are playing with a lady that is obviously new to the game. She is betting out of turn, doesn't know when the action is on her, etc. etc.

I am buried in the game and not playing well. I should have quit, but this lady still has about $300 in front of her and is obviously not leaving with any of it.

On to the hand....

She limps, the small blind limps and I get a free look with J6o at a J,6,3 rainbow flop.

After SB checks, I bet and get called by the lady. On the turn a jack comes up and I bet again. The lady make an obvious string bet and the small blind calls a string bet. The dealer then says that the bet was a string bet and the bet is only $20 and a call.

2 questions: 1. should the dealer have called it a string bet with only me and the other player?
2. What should I do now?

1. Yes.
2. Check-raise the river?

I think only players in the hand should be able to call a string raise.

Some rooms anyone at the table can call them.

Some rooms the dealer is supposed to call them.

meh..the dealer should run the game, including the bets. If it's a string it's a string, you'd want it called if it didn't help you.

I'd go for the c/r on the river.

once someone else calls the bet you could make a case to the floor that the call changed the action and it should stand. different poker rooms, different floor, will make different rulings.

No shot it should stand nice to see a dealer doing their job

most of the time i've seen it the dealer has said that's a string bet and gives them a warning saying next time make sure it all goes in same time or announce raise.

Was the SB still in the hand?

I have mixed feelings about requiring a player in the hand to call string. If there are multiple players in the hand and 1 wants to call it a string and another doesn't what are you supposed to do? And not to mention that if you basically ask a player "do you want that to be a call or a raise" you're asking them to give some information on the strength of their hand that they might not want to reveal.

And finally it's not relevant to the ruling here but I think the string bet rule is pretty stupid. As long as a player acts in a manner and with a timing that makes it clear they're not done let em do whatever they want. If you're afraid of someone getting a read off of you when they put out some chips and go back for more then you need to learn not to react to the bet until they're done.

String bets/raises must always be called and enforced.

Consistency is important.

You can't just want string bets to be called when it favors you.

The largest rooms in the world call them only at a player's request. This is a better rule.

I never call them when I'm in a hand because it's always some newbie saying "Icallandraise" or grabbing chips funky and I don't want to drop the hammer on a nice person for no reason.

I don't, but why? In the NFL you can call decline a penalty because you like the result of the play.

As a player I prefer the dealer calls them 100% of the time. Sure situations like the above come up, but more often you'll have a weak hand and want the string called so you don't have to say "ZOMG STRINGS! My hand's weak so string!"

It's room dependant. I've worked in rooms where it's player called and rooms where it's dealer called.

I prefer player called, but I understand the arguments for both.

I prefer letting people bet however the hell they want, because I have never seen a string bet used as a way to angle someone else. I only see it as a way to punish people for making a mistake of mechanics.

However, I have seen people adjust a bet in a perfectly legal way, based on how people are reacting to it. Those who are going to manipulate this will figure out how to do it, regardless of how many innocent tourists we trap.