Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 where he enjoyed taking part in various card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting very aggressive in these card games as he was playing his dad. After finishing high school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a little bit and moved away to New York City to compete in some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were difficult as he would play countless hours and lose a majority of the time. He earned some extra cash by becoming an runner for the poker players. He theorized he might boost his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus even more on the game.
The definite improvement in his abilities began when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best gamblers would often challenge each other. He had access into some of the best minds in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would hone his cunning thinking skills. He applied these strategic concepts to the game of NL hold’em.
He also helped his sibling Annie Duke learn the game of poker. Annie Duke was a superb student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard Lederer told Annie to head out to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie is one of the best women players the poker world today. Howard moved to Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the successive decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.