Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked betting on numerous card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting really competitive in these particular card games as he was competing against his dad. After graduating from high school, Howard decided to place higher education on hold for a bit and moved away to New York City to play some formidable chess. While competing in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were tough as he would play countless hours and lose a majority of the time. He earned some additional money by becoming an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he possibly could improve his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more rest and focus attention even more on poker.
The actual advancement in his game began when he began betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable gamblers would frequently play against each other. He was able to access several of the foremost minds in chess. With their help, he would sharpen his logical thinking techniques. Howard used these strategic ideas in the game of No-Limit texas hold’em.
He also helped his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. She was a great student of the game as she would always be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. He told Annie Duke to head out to Sin City and compete in the World Series of Poker competition. She is one of the strongest female players the poker arena today. Howard Lederer moved to Sin City in 1993 and participated in cash games for the next 10 years. When the WPT gained popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.