Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 in which he enjoyed playing different card games when he was young. He found himself becoming really aggressive in these card games while playing his dad. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard decided to place higher education on hold for a little bit and headed to New York to participate in some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were rough as he would play many hours and lose most times. He made some additional cash by becoming an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He theorized he possibly could improve his game by balancing his life outside of poker. He brought about an attempt to get more sleep and focus more on the game.
The real advancement in his skills began when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best gamblers would regularly challenge one another. He had access into some of the foremost minds in chess. With their assistance, he would tweak his logical thinking techniques. Howard applied these strategic concepts to the game of No-Limit hold’em.
He also helped his sibling Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie to move out to Las Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie is one of the best women players the poker world ever. He relocated to Vegas in 1993 and participated in cash games for the next 10 years. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, Howard made the decision to participate in more tournaments.