Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he liked playing different card games when he was young. He discovered himself becoming very aggressive in these particular card games as he was competing against his father. After finishing secondary school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a little while and moved to New York City to play some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial two years were tough as he would play many hours and lost most times. He earned some additional money by being an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he possibly could better his game by balancing his life away from poker. He brought about an effort to get more rest and focus attention even more on the game.
The real improvement in his game happened when he began playing at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the greatest gamblers would often compete against each other. He was able to access several of the best minds in chess. With their assistance, Howard Lederer would hone his logical thinking skills. He applied these strategy ideas to the game of NL Texas Holdem.
Howard Lederer also helped his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie was a great student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard told Annie to move out to Sin City and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie is one of the greatest women players the poker world ever. Howard moved to Sin City in 1993 and competed in cash games for the following decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, he decided to participate in more tournaments.