Rules/Ethics Question (and hand strategy, too)

[tipperdog]

This was an odd situation from a live tourney. The cutoff this hand is a very loose, inexperienced player. It wouldn't surprise me if it's his first live tourney. We are playing at the same table as his buddy, who's clearly more experienced and a better player.

In this hand, the rookie cutoff is a big stack (~T3,000). The SB is short (~700). I am in the BB with ~T1,800, which is about average. Blinds are 50/100.

I have T9o in the BB. The cutoff says "raise" but puts in only a 100 chip. He is told that he must raise, so he adds another 100 (not an act, I think he really wanted to call). The SB calls the raise, and I call.

The flop comes 289. The SB pushes all in for his last ~500. I raise all in and the cutoff calls. The SB shows KK (nice trap). But that's OK, because the cutoff shows 78, so I stand to win a big side pot.

The turn is a K, locking the main pot for the SB, and the river is a 7. Rats, I'm eliminated by a 5-outer. Such is poker. I get up to go. Here's where it gets interesting.

I'm standing up and the dealer says "wait, you win the side pot" and she pushes the pot to me. To be honest, I'm not paying full attention anymore, but I suppose that I could have misread the board (or his hand). I sit down and the hands are mucked. The dealer gathers the cards to shuffle and I stack "my chips," a bit confused. The truth is, I'm 99% sure that I should be on the rail, but I can't be 100% certain. The dealer stacks the cards, puts them in the auto-shuffle machine and prepares to deal the other deck.

The rookie player's buddy now starts talking to him and now, they both speak up. He rivered two-pair, they argue, so the pot should be his. Now, the rest of table starts to speak up, generally in agreement with the rookie and his buddy.

The dealer now says that she made a mistake. I ask for a ruling from the floor. What is the correct ruling, given that all cards have been mucked and mixed. Also, what would you say to the floorman (in my position) when asked.

[A_PLUS]

I would say, "Ummm, yeah I agree that I lost the pot, he had 2 pair. But I want to take advantage of an inexperienced player and mistake by the dealer, can I?"