Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he enjoyed gambling on different card games when he was young. He found himself becoming really aggressive in these card games as he was playing his father. After graduating from high school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a bit and moved to New York to play some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were tough as he played many hours and lose a majority of the time. He made some extra cash by becoming an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he could improve his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to get more rest and focus attention more on the game.

The real improvement in his game happened when he began playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable gamblers would regularly challenge one another. Howard was able to access several of the best minds in chess. With their assistance, he would hone his cunning thinking techniques. He applied these strategy 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 the game as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the correct choice. Howard told Annie Duke to move out to Las Vegas and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the best women players the poker world ever. He relocated to Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, Howard decided to play more tournaments.