Poker Profiles: Howard Lederer
Howard Lederer came from a bunch of famous personalities. His sister, Annie Duke, was a fellow Poker professional while his other sister, Katy Lederer, is a famed author and poet. Good thing, Howard is not one to spoil the family's record. He has also been great in his own field, garnering amazing wins and earning the respect of his fellow players and a lot of Poker fans worldwide.
The Lederers were born out of a writer and linguist father who was a professor at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. At that time, Howard was a young chess player who is raring to achieve more. Howard moved to New York City after finishing high school to further his chess career. It was through the chess clubs in NYC that Howard was introduced to Poker.
Shortly after, he developed a certain fondness with the game and began playing at the Mayfair Club with then no-names Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel. In 1994, he took on Poker full time. Howard moved to Las Vegas and tried his hands to the many available tournaments around.
Howard imbues a professor-like demeanor that is analytical and steady. He has been tagged 'The Professor' ever since he became a staple at the tournament circuit. He furthers this tag by releasing instructional Poker video titled Secrets of No Limit Hold'em. He also runs a Poker camp called Howard Lederer Poker Fantasy Camp. It was Howard who showed Annie the way to Poker. It was him who tutored her to become a great player herself.
At first, Howard focused himself on cashing in. It was only later in 2002 that he decided to go on take titles. And take he did. Howard currently has two World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles to boast. His total winning to date is close to $5 million. Aside from participating actively in tournaments, Howard is also a certified mover at the online circuit. He was one of the members of the design team that helped build FullTilPoker.com in 2004.
Another interesting fact about Howard is that he was once overweight but eventually lost all his heaviness after a gastric bypass surgery. Since then, Howard became a vegan. His gambling spirit proved to be much stronger than his advocacy, however, when he had a proposition bet with David Grey for eating a cheeseburger, which amounts to $10,000.
Now on his forties, Howard is peacefully holding residency in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife, a kid, and three dogs.