Howard Lederer lived in a family of five in which he enjoyed gambling on different card games at a young age. He found himself getting very aggressive in the above-mentioned card games as he was playing his father. After finishing high school, Howard made a decision to place college on hold for a bit and headed to New York City to participate in some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game going on in the rear of the room. Howard’s 1st two years were rough as he would play many hours and do not win a majority of the time. He earned some extra cash by becoming an assistant for the poker players. He theorized he might better his game by adjusting his life outside of poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and concentrate even more on poker.
The real advancement in his abilities began when he started gambling at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon club where the best players would often play against one another. He had access into several of the best minds in chess. With their assistance, Howard would sharpen his logical thinking skills. Howard applied these strategic concepts to the game of NL hold’em.
Howard also assisted his sister Annie Duke learn poker. Annie Duke was a superb student of the game as she constantly asked questions about the right way to make the correct decision. He told Annie Duke to head out to Sin City and compete in the WSOP competition. Annie Duke is one of the strongest female players the poker world ever. He relocated to Vegas in 1993 and played money games for the successive decade. When the WPT gained popularity, Howard made the decision to compete in more tournaments.
