Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five where he liked gambling on various card games at a young age. He found himself becoming really competitive in these particular card games while competing against his father. After graduating from secondary school, Howard decided to place higher education on hold for a bit and headed to New York City to play some formidable chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were difficult as he would play countless hours and do not win most times. He made some additional money by being an assistant for the poker players. He believed he might better his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and concentrate more on poker.
The definite advancement in his game happened when he started wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest players would frequently wager against each other. He was able to access a few of the best minds in chess. With their assistance, he would hone his cunning thinking skills. Howard 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 was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper choice. He told Annie to move out to Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie is one of the strongest female players the poker arena ever. He moved to Sin City in 1993 and competed in cash games for the following 10 years. When the WPT gained popularity, Howard decided to participate in more tournaments.