Howard Lederer is one of the most respected professional poker players, but his ambition in life was not always poker.

Born on October 30, 1964, he grew up in New Hampshire with his family, which included his sisters, Annie (now Annie Duke, another professional poker player) and Katy (now an author).

While his family liked to play many games, his favorite game quickly became chess. He became enthralled with it at a young age and got increasingly better at it as time passed. When he moved to New York City, after high school, he quickly began to frequent chess clubs. It was at one such chess club that he discovered poker. Soon he began to play poker at the famous Mayfair Club with other up and coming poker talents, such as Erik Seidel.

Howard quickly switched his primary focus from chess to poker, but the math and logic skills he'd honed during his chess years continued to help him. He moved to Las Vegas in the early 1990's and his reputation became one of cool, calm thought and analytical actions.

Early in his poker career, one of Howard's nicknames was "Bubba", which was a nickname Doyle Brunson had given him. Howard was over-weight at the time. Weight was a struggle for him for most of his life. Finally he had gastric bypass surgery to lose the weight and the nickname was shortened to "Bub".

These days most people know him by another nickname, though, "The Professor", a much more appropriate name for someone who made a record 13 final tables, then went on to win two WSOP bracelets. He won the first in 2000, at the $5,000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event at the WSOP. The second came at the $5,000 Deuce to Seven WSOP tournament in 2001. He also won two WPT events in 2002 and 2003 and quickly followed that by winning three Bellagio titles. Two were in No Limit Hold'em, while the last was in Pot Limit Omaha.

Some players may be intimidated by his stature (he stands at 6'5" tall), but he certainly doesn't rely on physical intimidation. He is a skilled player who keeps his cool in all situations and makes calm, analytical decisions.

At the age of 42, Howard isn't slowing down. He has won over 3 million dollars total, as of 2007. Although he has no 2007 POY (Player of the Year) ranking, it's not due to any sudden loss of talent, but rather to a busy schedule in other areas. He has made several instructional DVD's about poker, been a regular commentator on several televised events for the Fox Broadcasting Company and consulted for the production of poker video games. Also, he runs the Howard Lederer Poker Fantasy Camp, a camp where people can play poker against professionals, talk to them and learn from them.

The thing keeping him the busiest these days is actually Full Tilt Poker. He is the current president of the online poker site, which has been affiliated with the Poker Players Alliance in the fight to keep poker legal in the USA, claiming it is a game of skill and thus not gambling.

When he isn't playing on Full Tilt or trying to improve the site, he can often be found in various places around the world promoting Full Tilt and various types of poker games in general. In fact, he dropped in on a small game in London recently, along with pros Andy Bloch and Chris Ferguson, who also play at Full Tilt, and shocked the players there by chatting and swapping tips and stories, just like a local.

Howard "the Professor" Lederer is a rare find in the poker world. He's generally cool, calm and polite. He is one of the most skilled players around without the need to intimidate, distract people, wear dark glasses or otherwise openly attempt to confuse his opponents. He always tries to stay in the game, whether by playing, teaching, promoting or commentating. In short, he is a major asset to the game of poker in all ways imaginable.

Personal Quote

A journey that might lead to poker mastery must begin with passion. There is a boundless enthusiasm in the novice poker player's attitude. Poker is fun. It is played with no fear. There is a lack of self-consciousness. The game is played with joy.