Howard Henry Lederer (born October 30, 1964) is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Series of Poker bracelets and holds two World Poker Tour titles. Lederer has also contributed to several books on poker strategy and has provided commentary for poker programming. He is known by poker fans and players as "The Professor" and is the older brother of professional poker player Annie Duke.

Lederer is a founder and board member of Tiltware, the company that launched Full Tilt Poker in 2004. In 2011, the Full Tilt Poker website was shut down by the United States Department of Justice on charges of bank fraud and illegal gambling. In December 2012, Lederer settled a civil lawsuit with the Department of Justice relating to Full Tilt Poker.

Early life and family

Lederer was born in 1964 in Concord, New Hampshire and was introduced to card games at a young age by his family. As a child, Lederer's father also taught him to play chess. As a teenager, Lederer developed an interest in playing the game competitively. Lederer's sister, Annie Duke, is also a professional poker player. His father, Richard Lederer, is an author, linguist and a former educator at St. Paul's School. His other sister, Katy Lederer, is also an author. His father is Jewish, while his mother was a gentile. Though he briefly attended Columbia University, Lederer ultimately decided to pursue a career in poker. In 1993, Lederer moved to Las Vegas to focus on his poker career. Lederer won his second WSOP bracelet in 2001 in a $5,000 no limit Deuce to Seven tournament. Some of Lederer's other notable live poker wins in the early 2000s include World Poker Tour (WPT) titles in 2002 and 2003, in addition to two first-place finishes at WPT events in 2004.

In 2008, Lederer won more than $1 million Australian dollars at the Aussie Millions High-Roller event. Two years later, he won $250,000 and placed second in the WSOP's Tournament of Champions.

As of 2022, Lederer's total live tournament winnings exceeded $6,500,000, with his last cash being in January 2011.

Lederer is also known as "The Professor", a nickname given to him by poker player and commentator Jesse May. According to Lederer, the nickname came "out of nowhere". He provided commentary for poker programming, including the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, Learn from the Pros, as well as other Fox Sports Network poker programs. and hosted several poker fantasy camps in the mid-2000s. Additionally, from June 2006 to May 2011, Lederer was a member of the Poker Players Alliance's board of directors.

Tiltware LLC and Full Tilt Poker

Lederer was a founding member and onetime president of Tiltware LLC, the company that handled marketing and software development for Full Tilt Poker. Tiltware LLC launched Full Tilt Poker in 2004. Lederer served on the company's board of directors along with co-founders Rafe Furst, Chris Ferguson, and Ray Bitar.

Following a United States Department of Justice-led investigation, based on suspicion of money laundering and gambling violations, Full Tilt Poker's website was closed to players in the United States on April 15, 2011. The company's license was suspended on June 30, 2011, and Full Tilt Poker stopped accepting international play. Ultimately, the company's owners were accused of receiving around $443 million in player funds between 2007 and 2011.

In 2012, a three-way settlement was reached between Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and the Department of Justice. Full Tilt Poker agreed to forfeit their assets to the Department of Justice and on the same day, PokerStars agreed to acquire those assets from the Department of Justice. As part of the agreement, PokerStars paid $547 million to the Department of Justice in addition to $184 million to poker players outside the United States who were owed money by Full Tilt Poker.

Charitable activities

Lederer and his wife Suzie have previously hosted charity poker events including their April Fools fundraiser in 2009 to support the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. The Lederers have also hosted the Suzie and Howard Lederer Celebrity Charity Tourney, in 2009 and 2010, as part of their annual World Series of Barbecue event in Las Vegas. The charity poker event was a benefit for the Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas. Lederer has also participated in other charity poker events including Put a Bad Beat on Cancer in 2009.

Personal life

Though previously overweight, Lederer was able to lose weight as a result of gastric bypass surgery. In an interview in 2006, Lederer stated that he is a vegetarian. Lederer moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1993, where he lives with his wife, Suzie, and his son, Mattias.