Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 in which he enjoyed participating in various card games when he was young. He found himself getting very competitive in these particular card games while competing against his dad. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard decided to put higher education on hold for a bit and headed to New York to compete in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s first two years were rough as he played extensive hours and lost most times. He earned some extra money by being an runner for the poker players. He believed he could improve his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more rest and focus attention more on poker.

The real advancement in his skills began when he began gambling 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 each other. He had access into some of the greatest minds in chess. With their help, Howard would sharpen his logical thinking techniques. He used these strategy ideas in the game of NL Texas Holdem.

Howard also helped his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. She was a superb student of poker as she would always be asking questions about the right way to make the proper choice. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie is one of the strongest female players the poker world today. Howard headed to Sin City in 1993 and played cash games for the following decade. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to participate in more tournaments.