Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five in which he enjoyed gambling on different card games at a young age. He found himself getting very aggressive in the above-mentioned card games while playing his dad. After graduating from high school, Howard made a decision to put higher education on hold for a bit and moved away to New York City to compete in some big-time chess. While playing chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were difficult as he played countless hours and fail to win a majority of the time. He earned some additional money by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he might improve his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He brought about an effort to get more sleep and focus more on poker.
The definite improvement in his skills began when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best gamblers would often challenge each other. He had access into some of the foremost minds in chess. With their assistance, Howard Lederer would sharpen his logical thinking techniques. Howard used these strategic concepts in the game of NL Texas Holdem.
Howard also helped his sibling Annie Duke master poker. Annie was a great student of the game as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the proper choice. He told Annie to head out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie Duke is one of the strongest female players the poker world today. He moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and played money games for the subsequent 10 years. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.