You Think You're A Funny Guy, Eh?
Over at Table 1 Seat 4 is a man named Gerard Donoghue. That may not sounds familiar to the masses, but his alias of Gerry Dee might. Today he's a poker player, but by night he's a successful stand-up comedian from Canada who has appeared on the popular TV show Last Comic Standing.
Born on December 31, 1968 in Scarborough, Ontario, Dee was a physical education teacher and hockey coach at De La Salle College. Since moving into the realm of comedy, where he uses his past experiences as material, Dee has had a comedy special on The Comedy Network in Canada, performed at the Montreal Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival, appeared in television commercials and has graced the stage at prominent comedy clubs such as Just For Laughs and Yuk Yuks.
Even with an impressive comedy résumé, Dee is perhaps best known for finishing in third place on the fifth season of Last Comic Standing, where he missed the birth of his daughter while appearing on the show.
In January 2012, Dee premiered his sitcom, Mr. D, on CBC Television. Dee's comedy success inspired PokerStars.net to reach a sponsorship agreement with the comedian in which he agreed to appear in TV commercials and at live poker tournaments. In exchange, PokerStars.net and the site has signed on as the title sponsor of the Gerry Dee Comedy Tour.
"I'm better at math and statistics than the teacher you see on TV, so I'm not a bad poker player," Dee said in a PokerStars Press Release. "I'm no pro but I've always been a bit of a poker buff. I really admire the skill it takes to compete at the top level. I'm excited about this partnership and am looking forward to improving my game!"
Dee is attending the PCA and filming his experience in the Bahamas for a TV special.
"I've played poker with quite a few actors over the years and many are surprisingly good players," said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu in the press release. "It will be interesting to see how Gerry does at the PCA. I'm happy to have him join the contingent of Canadian players representing PokerStars, but I think he'll need a bit of beginner's luck in the Bahamas!"