Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he liked gambling on numerous card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting very aggressive in these particular card games as he was competing against his father. After graduating from Sr. High school, Howard decided to put college on hold for a little while and relocated to New York City to participate in some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were tough as he played extensive hours and don’t win a majority of the time. He made some extra money by being an runner for the poker players. He judged he might better his game by adjusting his life away from poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus attention even more on poker.
The real improvement in his skills happened when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest players would frequently play against each other. Howard had access into some of the greatest players in chess. With their help, Howard would hone his cunning thinking skills. He used these strategic ideas in the game of No-Limit hold’em.
Howard also helped his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. She was a superb student of the game as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. He told Annie to move out to Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie is one of the strongest women players the poker world ever. Howard relocated to Sin City in 1993 and participated in cash games for the subsequent decade. When the WPT gained popularity, he decided to participate in more tournaments.
