Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked participating in numerous card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting really aggressive in these particular card games as he was playing his dad. After graduating from secondary school, Howard made a decision to place higher education on hold for a bit and moved away to New York to participate in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial two years were difficult as he played extensive hours and lost a majority of the time. He earned some additional money by becoming an runner for the poker players. He believed he could improve his game by balancing his life outside of poker. He brought about an effort to get more sleep and focus more on the game.
The actual improvement in his skills happened when he began gambling at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best players would regularly play against one another. Howard had access into some of the best players in chess. With their assistance, Howard would hone his logical thinking techniques. Howard used these strategy ideas in the game of NL holdem.
He also helped his sibling Annie Duke learn the game of poker. She was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the proper choice. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to head out to Sin City and play in the World Series of Poker competition. She is one of the best female players the poker arena ever. He relocated to Las Vegas in 1993 and participated in cash games for the successive 10 years. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, he made the decision to participate in more tournaments.