Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he enjoyed participating in numerous card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting very competitive in these card games while competing against his father. After graduating from high school, Howard decided to put higher education on hold for a little bit and relocated to New York City to play some big-time chess. While playing chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first two years were difficult as he would play countless hours and lost a majority of the time. He earned some additional cash by becoming an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he might boost his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He brought about an effort to get more sleep and focus more on the game.
The definite advancement in his skills began when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest gamblers would often play against each other. He was able to access a number of the foremost minds in chess. With their help, Howard would sharpen his logical thinking techniques. He applied these strategy ideas to the game of NL texas hold’em.
Howard also assisted his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. She was a great student of poker as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the correct decision. He told Annie to head out to Sin City and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie is one of the strongest female players the poker arena has ever seen. He moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and participated in cash games for the following decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, he made the decision to compete in more tournaments.