Howard Lederer lived in a family of five in which he enjoyed participating in different card games when he was young. He found himself getting really competitive in these card games while competing against his father. After finishing Sr. High school, Howard made a decision to put higher education on hold for a little while and moved to New York City to compete in some big-time chess. While playing chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s initial two years were difficult as he played countless hours and lost a majority of the time. He earned some extra money by being an runner for the poker players. He judged he might improve his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He brought about an effort to get more sleep and concentrate more on poker.

The real advancement in his abilities began when he started playing at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable gamblers would often play against each other. Howard was able to access some of the best minds in chess. With their help, he would hone his logical thinking techniques. He applied these strategy concepts to the game of No-Limit holdem.

He also assisted his sibling Annie Duke learn poker. She was a superb student of poker as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the correct choice. He told Annie to move out to Vegas and play in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie Duke is one of the greatest female players the poker world today. Howard Lederer headed to Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and played cash games for the next decade. When the WPT grew in popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.