Howard Lederer was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1965. His father was an English teacher and Howard was used to playing games on a regular basis with his academically-oriented family. When he was in his teens, he was an avid chess player and he moved to New York City at eighteen to indulge his love of the game.

He learned to play poker at one of his chess clubs and poker took the place of chess in his life. Howard was attending Columbia University at the time but his studies took a back seat to his poker games.

The Mayfair Club, which initially focused on bridge and backgammon, made a change to poker. Howard learned to play Texas Hold’em and spent time with club regulars like Jason Lester, Jay Heimowitz, Steve Zolotow, Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington. After playing poker during the day at the club, the group repaired to the bar to openly rehash the specifics of the games.

In 1988, Howard spent some time teaching his sister Annie Duke how to play. Apparently this skill runs in the family as in 1994, brother and sister were playing at the same table in the finals of the World Series of Poker.

Due to his serious and studious behavior at the tables, Howard has been given the nickname of “The Professor”. He is a skilled and capable teacher which is obvious in his explanations of intricate poker issues in his highly popular and educational video “Secrets of No Limit Hold’em”.

“Full Tilt Poker” is “The Professor’s” website. Each poker game that can be played on his site has a full explanation for players:

* Texas Hold’em
* Omaha
* Omaha 8/Better (Omaha Hi/Lo)
* Razz
* Seven Card Stud
* Seven Card Stud 8/Better (Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo)

Additionally, Howard’s website has a number of articles “Tips From the Pros”:

* “Sit N Go Made Easy” by Howard Lederer
* “A Way to Approximate the Odds” by Clonie Gowen
* “Just a Few Things When Playing Razz” by Jennifer Harman
* “Keep Your Toolbox Well Stocked” by Chris Ferguson
* “Specialize At Your Peril” by Howard Lederer

Howard and his sister Annie Duke – who are considered two of the best poker players and teachers in the world – have run three poker fantasy/reality camps in the United States. They are now planning a similar camp for the benefit of the players in the European poker Community from May 11th to May 14th in Baden, Austria.

Along with Howard Lederer and Annie, two other poker experts will be on hand to help players hone their skills. Marcel Luske from Holland is the Director of the International Poker Federation and Thomas Bihl from Germany has his area of expertise in Sit N Go Tournaments.

Some of Howard’s big wins:

* First Place – April 2003 – Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic – $221,000
* First Place – March 2003 – Party Poker Million 2003 – $289,000
* First Place – November 2002 – World Poker Finals (Foxwoods) – $320,000
* First Place – 2001 World Series of Poker Deuce to Sevens – $166,000
* First Place – 2000 World Series of Poker Omaha 8 or Better – $198,000

By Kenneth Bateman
Kenneth Bateman writes numerous articles on the subject of poker and its players. To read more player profiles, visit this poker room.