Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 in which he liked participating in numerous card games when he was young. He found himself becoming really competitive in these card games while playing his dad. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard decided to place higher education on hold for a bit and moved away to New York City to participate in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first two years were difficult as he played extensive hours and fail to win most times. He earned some extra money by becoming an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he could improve his game by adjusting his life away from poker. He brought about an effort to get more sleep and focus more on the game.
The actual improvement in his game began when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best gamblers would frequently challenge each other. Howard was able to access several of the best players in chess. With their help, Howard would sharpen his logical thinking techniques. Howard applied these strategic ideas to the game of No-Limit Texas Holdem.
Howard Lederer also helped his sister Annie Duke master poker. Annie was a great student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie to head out to Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker competition. She is one of the strongest female players the poker arena has ever seen. He moved to Las Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and competed in money games for the next decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, Howard decided to participate in more tournaments.