Born in 1964, in Concord, NH, Howard Lederer is the son of well known American author and linguist, Richard Lederer. It was this kind of opposition that Howard faced as a child during the family card-games they used to have. The story goes that his father didn’t cut him any slack either, so he learnt what being competitive meant from a very early age.
Initially preparing to be a chess professional, Lederer moved to New York after high school, so he could partake in the bustling local chess and backgammon scene. His search for games led him to the Mayfair Club, where he became hooked on poker instead. Even though his first few years as a poker player were spent on a more or less continuous losing streak, he persevered, and with the help of fellow Mayfair players Eric Seidel, Steve Zolotow and Dan Harrington, he finally broke through.
During the 80s, while he was submerging ever deeper in poker analysis himself, he’s said to have tutored his sister, Annie Duke, who has also grown to become a world class poker professional.
He moved to Las Vegas in 1994 in search of ever higher stakes games. He won his first WSOP bracelet in 2000, in a $5,000 FL Omaha event, and followed it up with another one in 2001, in Deuce to Seven Draw.
He has the above named two bracelets, and 34 money finishes to show when it comes to WSOP achievements. His highest Main Event finish came in 1987, when he finished 5th in the Big Dance.
In the WPT, he had 2 titles, 3 final tables and 8 money finishes.
Also known as The Professor, on account of his laid-back analytical style, Howard Lederer spent most of his life being overweight. For that, he was named “Bubba” by Doyle Brunson, a nick which stuck for while.
He had a gastric bypass surgery though, as a result of which he lost some weight, thus “Bubba” had to be shortened to “Bub”.