Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he loved gambling on numerous card games when he was young. He found himself getting very competitive in the above-mentioned card games while playing his father. After finishing secondary school, Howard decided to put college on hold for a bit and moved to New York to compete in some formidable chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial two years were tough as he would play countless hours and fail to win most times. He earned some additional money by being an assistant for the poker players. He believed he could better his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more rest and concentrate more on the game.
The real advancement in his abilities happened when he started betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest gamblers would often play against one another. Howard had access into a few of the foremost players in chess. With their help, Howard would sharpen his strategic thinking skills. He applied these strategy ideas to the game of No-Limit holdem.
Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. She was a great student of the game as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the proper decision. Howard told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. She is one of the greatest female players the poker arena has ever seen. Howard Lederer headed to Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the successive decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, Howard decided to play more tournaments.