Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked gambling on different card games at a young age. He found himself getting very competitive in these card games while competing against his dad. After finishing secondary school, Howard made a decision to place higher education on hold for a little bit and headed to New York to participate in some formidable chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were tough as he would play many hours and fail to win most times. He made some extra money by becoming an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he possibly could improve his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He made an attempt to get more rest and focus attention even more on poker.
The definite improvement in his game happened when he started betting at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable players would frequently compete against each other. He was able to access a few of the greatest players in chess. With their help, Howard would sharpen his cunning thinking skills. He applied these strategy concepts to the game of NL texas hold’em.
He also helped his sister Annie Duke master poker. She was a great student of the game as she would always be asking questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to head out to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker competition. She is one of the best female players the poker world ever. Howard moved to Vegas in 1993 and played money games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to participate in more tournaments.