Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 in which he loved taking part in numerous card games when he was young. He discovered himself becoming very competitive in the above-mentioned card games while playing his dad. After finishing high school, Howard decided to put higher education on hold for a little bit and moved to New York City to play some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were rough as he played countless hours and lost most times. He earned some extra money by becoming an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He theorized he might improve his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus attention even more on poker.

The actual improvement in his skills happened when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the best players would frequently compete against one another. He had access into some of the greatest players in chess. With their assistance, Howard would sharpen his strategic thinking skills. He used these strategy concepts in the game of No-Limit holdem.

Howard also assisted his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. She was a superb student of poker as she would always be asking questions about the right way to make the correct decision. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and play in the WSOP competition. Annie Duke is one of the greatest women players the poker arena has ever seen. He headed to Las Vegas in 1993 and played cash games for the following decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, Howard decided to compete in more tournaments.