Howard Lederer lived in a family of 5 where he liked betting on different card games when he was young. He found himself becoming really competitive in the above-mentioned card games while competing against his father. After graduating from secondary school, Howard made a decision to place higher education on hold for a little while and relocated to New York City to play some formidable chess. While playing chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s first two years were tough as he would play many hours and do not win most times. He made some extra cash by being an runner for the poker players. He theorized he could improve his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He made an attempt to get more sleep and concentrate even more on the game.
The actual improvement in his abilities began when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable gamblers would often compete against one another. Howard was able to access some of the greatest minds in chess. With their help, he would tweak his logical thinking abilities. Howard used these strategic concepts in the game of No-Limit hold’em.
Howard also helped his sibling Annie Duke master the game of poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of the game as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the correct choice. Howard told Annie Duke to move out to Las Vegas and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the greatest female players the poker world ever. Howard moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and played money games for the subsequent decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.