Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked participating in different card games at a young age. He found himself becoming really competitive in these particular card games while competing against his dad. After graduating from Sr. High school, Howard made a decision to put higher education on hold for a bit and headed to New York to compete in some serious chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were tough as he would play countless hours and lost a majority of the time. He earned some additional cash by becoming an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He theorized he might better his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus more on poker.
The actual advancement in his abilities happened when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable gamblers would often compete against each other. Howard was able to access some of the best players in chess. With their assistance, Howard Lederer would hone his cunning thinking techniques. Howard used these strategy ideas in the game of NL holdem.
He also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie was a great student of the game as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the proper choice. He told Annie to move out to Sin City and compete in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie Duke is one of the best women players the poker world today. Howard headed to Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and competed in cash games for the next decade. When the WPT gained popularity, he decided to play more tournaments.