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. He was not raised Jewish. 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. Professional poker career Early career After graduating from high school, Lederer began playing chess in New York City before discovering and developing an interest in live poker games and becoming a member of the Mayfair Club. Though he briefly attended Columbia University, Lederer ultimately decided to pursue a career in poker. It was during his time in New York City that Lederer began to mentor his sister, Annie Duke, who was playing poker in Billings, Montana at the time. Lederer attempted to qualify for a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 1986, but was unsuccessful. The next year, he made the final table and finished fifth in the $10,000 no limit Hold 'em Main Event. In 1993, Lederer moved to Las Vegas to focus