Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five in which he liked gambling on various card games at a young age. He found himself becoming very aggressive in the above-mentioned card games while playing his dad. After finishing secondary school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a little bit and headed to New York City to compete in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s initial 2 years were tough as he would play many hours and do not win a majority of the time. He earned some extra money by becoming an runner for the poker players. He believed he possibly could improve his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus even more on the game.

The real advancement in his abilities began when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable gamblers would frequently challenge each other. Howard had access into a number of the foremost players in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would sharpen his logical thinking abilities. He used these strategy ideas in the game of NL Texas Holdem.

Howard Lederer also helped his sibling Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie was an excellent student of poker as she would always be asking questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard Lederer told Annie to move out to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie is one of the greatest women players the poker arena ever. Howard Lederer moved to Vegas in 1993 and played cash games for the next decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, Howard made the decision to participate in more tournaments.