Howard 'The Professor' Lederer was born in Concord, New Hampshire and is the brother of poker pro Annie Duke. Lederer was a keen and talented chess player and it was at his chess club where he discovered poker. Lederer is known for his calmness at the table which he developed from studying zen books. Not only a great reader of people, he uses his chess brain to quickly analyze situations and odds.

Lederer's total live winnings to date are approximately $3million with two WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles to his name.