Howard Lederer was born into in a family of 5 where he liked gambling on different card games at a young age. He discovered himself getting really competitive in these particular card games while playing his dad. After finishing high school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a little bit and headed 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 would play countless hours and lose a majority of the time. He made some extra cash by being an assistant for the poker enthusiasts. He theorized he possibly could better his game by analyzing his life away from poker. He brought about an effort to acquire more rest and focus even more on the game.

The real improvement in his skills began when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best gamblers would often wager against one another. He was able to access several of the greatest players in chess. With their assistance, Howard would hone his logical thinking abilities. Howard used these strategic concepts in the game of NL Texas Holdem.

He also assisted his sister Annie Duke master poker. Annie was an excellent student of poker as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. He told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and compete in the WSOP tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the strongest women players the poker world today. Howard relocated to Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and played cash games for the subsequent decade. When the World Poker Tournament grew in popularity, Howard made the decision to play more tournaments.