Howard Leder Biography

If tournament chess players earned good money, there is a chance that the poker world would have never known the name of Howard Lederer. Lederer grew up the son of a linguist in New Hampshire and early on was an accomplished chess player. Lederer moved to New York City after high school in order to pursue a career in professional chess.

Lederer would soon discover the world of poker and he found out that poker was much more profitable than chess. In an interview recently, Lederer stated that he would have to be a top ranked player in the world just to win a measly $50. In those days, Lederer could make $300 to $500 a day playing low stakes poker. In the end, Lederer moved his focus over to poker, and he has never looked back.

Lederer was one of the members of the famed Mayfair Club. Some of the greatest poker players in the world all honed their game at the Mayfair. Dan Harrington, Erik Seidel, Steve Zolotow, and other were among his regular competitors. Lederer would start to make a name for himself in the late 80’s when he finished 5th in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. After finishing 5th, he figured he would have plenty of chances to get back. Of course, he never foresaw the explosion that happened in poker as a result of Chris Moneymaker winning the 2003 WSOP, and as a result, Lederer has yet to make it back to the final table of the Main Event. However, Lederer does have two WSOP bracelets.

Lederer is perhaps best known for his prowess in Limit Holdem. He has three final tables at the WSOP in Limit Holdem. His second WPT title, the 2003 Party Poker Million, was a Limit Holdem event. Lederer made $289,000 for this win. In 2008, Lederer put his skills in the game on display when he finished 3rd in the H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series of Poker Europe and made the final table of the Mixed Holdem event at the World Series of Poker. Limit Holdem makes up half of the Mixed Holdem event and 1/5 of the H.O.R.S.E. event.

Lederer earned the nickname of “The Professor” with his calculated style of play at the table and has kept it through the years by continually teaching new players how to properly play the game of Holdem. He is a regular instructor at the Full Tilt Poker Academy and also has a series of instructional videos on the market. Perhaps the best of the bunch is his video on Limit Holdem. The video gives solid instruction for new players wanting to take on the game of Limit Holdem. While the teaching style may come off as dry to some, many players have reported fantastic results with his teaching.

Howard Lederer has risen through the poker ranks over the years and established himself as both a great Limit Holdem player, but also a great Holdem player in general. Whenever he is at a table, he is always a viable threat. In recent months, Lederer has begun to devote more time to cash games and tournaments. It should only be a matter of time before he begins to again assert his will onto the poker world.