Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he enjoyed participating in numerous card games when he was young. He discovered himself becoming very competitive in these card games while competing against his father. After finishing secondary school, Howard decided to place higher education on hold for a bit and moved to New York City to play some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s first two years were rough as he played extensive hours and fail to win a majority of the time. He earned some extra cash by being an runner for the poker enthusiasts. He judged he could better his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He brought about an effort to acquire more sleep and concentrate even more on the game.
The definite improvement in his game began when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best gamblers would frequently challenge each other. He had access into a few of the greatest players in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would sharpen his cunning thinking skills. He applied these strategy ideas to the game of NL hold’em.
He also helped his sister Annie Duke master poker. Annie was a superb student of poker as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the correct decision. Howard Lederer told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker tournaments. Annie is one of the greatest women players the poker world has ever seen. Howard Lederer moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and participated in money games for the subsequent decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, Howard decided to compete in more tournaments.