Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five where he liked gambling on various card games when he was young. He discovered himself becoming really aggressive in these card games as he was competing against his father. After graduating from secondary school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a little bit and moved away 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 rear of the room. Howard’s initial two years were difficult as he would play extensive hours and lose most times. He made some additional cash by becoming an runner for the poker players. He believed he might improve his game by analyzing his life outside of poker. He made an attempt to get more rest and focus more on the game.

The real advancement in his skills happened when he started betting at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best gamblers would frequently play against one another. Howard had access into a number of the greatest minds in chess. With their help, Howard Lederer would hone his strategic thinking abilities. Howard applied these strategic ideas to the game of NL holdem.

Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke master poker. Annie Duke was an excellent student of the game as she would consistently be asking questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard Lederer told Annie to head out to Las Vegas and compete in the WSOP competition. She is one of the best women players the poker world today. Howard Lederer headed to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in cash games for the following 10 years. When the WPT grew in popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.