Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he loved betting on numerous card games when he was young. He found himself becoming very competitive in these card games while competing against his dad. After graduating from Sr. High school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a little while and moved away to New York to play some formidable chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were rough as he played countless hours and fail to win a majority of the time. He earned some extra money by being an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he could boost his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus attention even more on the game.
The actual improvement in his game happened 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 players would frequently play against one another. Howard was able to access some of the foremost minds in chess. With their assistance, he would hone his logical thinking skills. He used these strategy concepts in the game of No-Limit texas hold’em.
Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. She is one of the greatest women players the poker arena has ever seen. He relocated to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the following decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.
