Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 where he loved betting on various card games at a young age. He found himself becoming very competitive in these card games while playing his dad. After graduating from high school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a bit and moved away to New York City to compete in some serious chess. While playing chess, he was introduced to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were rough as he played many hours and fail to win a majority of the time. He made some extra money by being an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he might improve his game by balancing his life outside of poker. He made an attempt to acquire more rest and concentrate even more on the game.
The real improvement in his abilities began when he began gambling at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable players would often wager against one another. He had access into a few of the best minds in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would hone his strategic thinking techniques. Howard used these strategy concepts in the game of No-Limit holdem.
He also assisted his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. She was a great student of the game as she constantly asked questions about how to make the correct choice. Howard told Annie to head out to Las Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the best female players the poker world today. Howard moved to Sin City in 1993 and played money games for the subsequent 10 years. When the WPT gained popularity, he made the decision to play more tournaments.