Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five in which he enjoyed gambling on different card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting very competitive in these card games while playing his father. After graduating from Sr. High school, Howard made a decision to place higher education on hold for a bit and relocated to New York to participate in some serious chess. While playing 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 extensive hours and lose a majority of the time. He earned some additional cash by being an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he might better his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more rest and concentrate more on poker.
The real improvement in his abilities happened when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best gamblers would often challenge each other. Howard had access into a number of the greatest minds in chess. With their help, Howard would hone his logical thinking abilities. Howard used these strategic ideas in the game of NL hold’em.
Howard also helped his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. Annie was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the proper decision. Howard Lederer told Annie to move out to Sin City and compete in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the strongest female players the poker world ever. Howard headed to Vegas in 1993 and participated in cash games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.