Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 where he enjoyed participating in various card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting really aggressive in these card games while competing against his father. After finishing high school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a little bit and headed to New York City to play some big-time chess. While competing in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s first two years were difficult as he played extensive hours and fail to win most times. He made some extra cash by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he could boost his game by balancing his life away from poker. He brought about an attempt to acquire more sleep and focus attention more on the game.
The definite improvement in his abilities began when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the greatest players would frequently challenge one another. Howard was able to access a few of the best players in chess. With their help, he would hone his logical thinking skills. He used these strategic concepts in the game of NL hold’em.
Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie was a superb student of poker as she would always be asking questions about the right way to make the proper choice. He told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and play in the WSOP competition. She is one of the best female players the poker arena today. Howard Lederer headed to Las Vegas in 1993 and played cash games for the following decade. When the WPT gained popularity, he decided to play more tournaments.