Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 where he liked taking part in numerous card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting very aggressive in these card games as he was playing his father. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a little while and headed to New York City to participate in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s initial two years were tough as he played extensive hours and fail to win most times. He made some additional money by being an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he possibly could improve his game by adjusting his life away from poker. He brought about an effort to get more rest and concentrate even more on poker.
The real advancement in his skills began when he began playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest players would often challenge one another. He was able to access some of the greatest minds in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would tweak his logical thinking skills. He used these strategic ideas in the game of NL holdem.
Howard Lederer also assisted his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. She was a great student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about the right way to make the proper choice. Howard Lederer told Annie to move out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie is one of the strongest women players the poker arena has ever seen. He moved to Sin City in 1993 and participated in money games for the subsequent decade. When the WPT gained popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.