Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 where he enjoyed gambling on various card games when he was young. He discovered himself becoming very aggressive in the above-mentioned card games while competing against his dad. After finishing high school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a little bit and moved away to New York City to compete in some formidable chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were difficult as he played extensive hours and do not win most times. He earned some additional cash by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he possibly could better his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to get more rest and focus more on the game.
The real improvement in his skills happened when he started gambling at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable players would frequently challenge each other. He was able to access a number of the best players in chess. With their help, Howard would tweak his logical thinking techniques. Howard used these strategy concepts in the game of NL Texas Holdem.
Howard also assisted his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. Annie Duke was a superb student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie is one of the greatest female players the poker arena has ever seen. Howard moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in money games for the successive 10 years. When the WPT gained popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.