Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked gambling on various card games at a young age. He found himself getting very competitive in these particular card games while playing his father. After graduating from high school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a bit and relocated to New York City to participate in some big-time chess. While playing chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were tough as he would play many hours and fail to win a majority of the time. He earned some additional money by becoming an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he possibly could better his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and concentrate even more on the game.
The actual advancement in his abilities happened when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best players would often challenge one another. He was able to access some of the greatest minds in chess. With their assistance, Howard would tweak his cunning thinking skills. Howard applied these strategic concepts to the game of NL holdem.
Howard also helped his sibling Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the correct choice. He told Annie Duke to move out to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the best women players the poker arena today. Howard Lederer headed to Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the successive decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, he decided to play more tournaments.