Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 where he enjoyed participating in various card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting very competitive in these card games while playing his father. After graduating from high school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a little bit and moved to New York City to compete in some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were difficult as he played many hours and do not win a majority of the time. He made some extra money by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he could improve his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and concentrate more on poker.

The actual improvement in his game 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 frequently compete against each other. He was able to access several of the best players in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would tweak his strategic thinking skills. He applied these strategy concepts to the game of NL texas hold’em.

He also assisted his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. Annie Duke was a superb student of poker as she would always be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie Duke to head out to Las Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie is one of the strongest women players the poker arena today. Howard moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in money games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to participate in more tournaments.