Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 in which he liked gambling on numerous card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting really aggressive in these card games while playing his father. After finishing secondary school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a little while and headed to New York to compete in some big-time chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s first 2 years were difficult as he would play many hours and lose most times. He made some additional money by becoming an runner for the poker players. He believed he possibly could better his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus even more on the game.
The real improvement in his skills began when he started wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable players would often challenge each other. Howard had access into several of the foremost players in chess. With their help, Howard would tweak his cunning thinking techniques. He used these strategy concepts in the game of NL holdem.
Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie was a great student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about the right way to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie Duke to head out to Las Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. She is one of the best female players the poker arena today. He headed to Vegas in 1993 and played cash games for the subsequent decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, Howard made the decision to compete in more tournaments.
