Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 in which he loved participating in various card games at a young age. He found himself getting really aggressive in these card games as he was competing against his father. After graduating from secondary school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a bit and moved away to New York to participate in some serious chess. While competing in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s 1st two years were difficult as he would play many hours and fail to win most times. He earned some additional cash by becoming an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He theorized he might improve his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an attempt to get more sleep and focus attention more on the game.
The actual improvement in his abilities happened when he started wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the greatest gamblers would frequently challenge each other. Howard had access into some of the foremost minds in chess. With their assistance, Howard would hone his strategic thinking abilities. He applied these strategy concepts to the game of No-Limit hold’em.
Howard Lederer also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn the game of poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper decision. He told Annie Duke to move out to Sin City and play in the World Series of Poker competition. She is one of the strongest women players the poker arena today. Howard relocated to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.