Authorities: Card dealer helped players at Waterloo casino win

WATERLOO - A Gilbertville man cheated while dealing cards at a Waterloo casino, authorities say.

Jordan Michael Makinster, 27, used a 'false shuffle” to increase patrons' chances of winning - which, in turn, led to larger tips for him, the investigation found.

Makinster was arrested June 19 on a charge of altering the outcome of a gambling game, a felony. He was released from jail pending trial.

According to court records, he worked as a card dealer in March at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo when casino management found he wasn't dealing correctly when running a game called 'Match ‘Em High Low.”

Specifically, he would rearrange played cards, creating groups of pairs and runs when he collected them from the table and put them into the discard rack, court records state. Then he would perform a false shuffle on those cards, creating a greater likelihood the groupings would stay together when he dealt and increasing the odds of patrons winning, records state.

The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which reviewed surveillance videos.

The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a lifetime ban from gaming facilities upon conviction.

He no longer works at the casino, according to court records.