Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 where he enjoyed playing different card games at a young age. He found himself becoming very competitive in these card games while competing against his dad. After graduating from Sr. High school, Howard decided to put higher education on hold for a bit and moved to New York to compete in some big-time chess. While competing in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s initial two years were tough as he would play extensive hours and lost most times. He earned some extra money by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he might boost his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus attention even more on poker.

The real advancement in his abilities began when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable players would frequently challenge one another. He was able to access several of the best minds in chess. With their help, Howard would tweak his logical thinking techniques. He applied these strategic concepts to the game of No-Limit texas hold’em.

Howard Lederer also helped his sibling Annie Duke master poker. Annie was an excellent student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about the right way to make the proper decision. Howard Lederer told Annie to move out to Sin City and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie is one of the best female players the poker arena has ever seen. He relocated to Sin City in 1993 and participated in cash games for the following 10 years. When the WPT grew in popularity, he made the decision to participate in more tournaments.