Was I robbed?

[Willy Gee]

My first post.

Was playing 2-4 at the Plaza last night. I'm on the button with Qs9s. Four limpers, I call, small blind folds and big blind checks.

River: Ks 9c 4s.

Big blind bets, middle position calls and I raise. Big blind and middle position call.

Turn: 5d.

Checked to me and I bet. Big blind and middle position call.

River is a 2 of diamonds. It's checked to me and I check. Big blind has 6d 8h, middle position has As Jh. I flip over my cards and say, "I've got a nine."

Then the dealer throws my exposed cards into the muck and starts to push the pot to the middle position guy with ace high. I object. My cards are pulled from the muck, and the card room manager is called over. He says that, because my cards hit the muck, I lose. I tell him that I did not push them into the muck and thqt the dealer did.

Everyone at the table agrees that I had the best hand and announced my nines while exposing my cards. Nevertheless, I'm told that I should not have exposed my cards where the dealer could reach them.

Some of the players at the table agree with the manager, noting that I pitched my cards to the middle of the table. I did this so the middle position guy could see my cards. (We were on opposite sides of the table.)

Im somewhat new to poker, but this cannot be right. What am I missing here?

If I had folded preflop or bet the river, this never would have happened. Maybe I deserved it.