Howard Lederer lived in a family of five in which he liked gambling on different card games at a young age. He found himself getting really aggressive in these card games while competing against his father. After graduating from high school, Howard made a decision 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 introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st two years were tough as he would play extensive hours and don’t win most times. He earned some extra cash by being an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He believed he possibly could boost his game by balancing his life away from poker. He brought about an attempt to acquire more sleep and focus more on poker.
The definite improvement in his skills happened when he started betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best players would often challenge each other. Howard had access into some of the greatest minds in chess. With their assistance, he would hone his strategic thinking techniques. Howard applied these strategic ideas to the game of NL texas hold’em.
He also helped his sister Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie was an excellent student of the game as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard told Annie Duke to head out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie is one of the strongest female players the poker world has ever seen. He moved to Sin City in 1993 and competed in cash games for the subsequent 10 years. When the WPT grew in popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.