This happend to Grova a.k.a. Shamrock20 when we went to Turning Stone for his first time. I gotta tell ya, it was pretty hilarious. I was two tables over and he looked like he wanted to cry/his dog just got run over. In this case it was a split pot but Grova mucked and the other kid got the whole pot, but since Grova is so cute he gave him half the pot.

Me and my brother, yea.
Me and my brother, yea.
The very best friends, that anybody could be.
Me and my brother, yea...........

Well today I'm feeling a little better. I've read a bunch of threads where people have made the same mistake as me. In some cases, the opponent didn't make a big deal and gave the winner the pot. In most cases, the opponent did just what my guy did and complained to the floor until he was awarded the money.

you probably don't need me to tell you this, but it's very prudent to protect your hand until the pot slides your way. dealers make mistakes, and your hand is what talks.

a friend of mine told a funny story (not really worth repeating here) about the value of "having the money". basically, the moral of the story was to be skeptical about any promises of money until you actually have it in hand. until that time, you've got air.

Yeah.. It was definitely a tough learning experience. For my own good, I won't be going back there for at least a week. I will probably just play online and study up or something. I think in terms of EV, that would be the best move.