Howard Lederer grew up in a family of 5 where he liked gambling on different card games when he was young. He discovered himself getting very aggressive in the above-mentioned card games as he was playing his dad. After graduating from secondary school, Howard made a decision to put higher education on hold for a bit and moved to New York to participate in some serious chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game taking place in the back of the room. Howard’s first two years were difficult as he would play extensive hours and don’t win most times. He earned some additional cash by becoming an runner for the poker players. He theorized he might boost his game by adjusting his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus attention more on poker.

The actual improvement in his game began when he started betting at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable gamblers would often compete against each other. He was able to access a number of the best minds in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would tweak his logical thinking techniques. He used these strategy concepts in the game of NL texas hold’em.

Howard also helped his sibling Annie Duke master poker. She was a great student of the game as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. Howard told Annie Duke to head out to Vegas and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the strongest women players the poker world has ever seen. Howard headed to Vegas in 1993 and played cash games for the next 10 years. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, Howard decided to compete in more tournaments.