Howard Lederer was born into in a family of five in which he enjoyed playing various card games when he was young. He found himself getting very competitive in these card games while competing against his father. After graduating from secondary school, Howard made a decision to put college on hold for a little bit and moved to New York City to compete in some serious chess. While competing in chess, he was introduced to a poker game going on in the back of the room. Howard’s 1st 2 years were tough as he played extensive hours and lose a majority of the time. He made some extra money by being an runner for the poker players. He believed he might better his game by balancing his life outside of poker. He made an effort to acquire more sleep and focus more on the game.

The actual advancement in his abilities happened when he began gambling at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the the most favorable gamblers would frequently compete against each other. Howard had access into a few of the greatest minds in chess. With their assistance, he would hone his logical thinking techniques. He applied these strategic ideas to the game of NL Texas Holdem.

Howard Lederer also assisted his sister Annie Duke master poker. Annie was an excellent student of the game as she would always be asking questions about how to make the proper choice. He told Annie Duke to move out to Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker competition. Annie is one of the strongest women players the poker arena today. Howard Lederer relocated to Las Vegas in Nineteen Ninety Three and participated in cash games for the successive decade. When the WPT gained popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.