Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five where he loved gambling on different card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting very competitive in the above-mentioned card games as he was competing against his father. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a bit and moved to New York City to participate in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st two years were rough as he would play many hours and lost most times. He made some extra money by being an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he might boost his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus attention even more on the game.
The real improvement in his game happened when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best gamblers would often challenge each other. Howard was able to access some of the foremost minds in chess. With their help, he would hone his logical thinking techniques. Howard used these strategic ideas in the game of No-Limit texas hold’em.
He also assisted his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of poker as she would always be asking questions about how to make the correct decision. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie is one of the strongest female players the poker world has ever seen. Howard Lederer relocated to Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and competed in cash games for the successive decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, Howard decided to participate in more tournaments.