Howard Lederer grew up in a family of five in which he enjoyed taking part in numerous card games when he was young. He found himself getting very competitive in these particular card games while competing against his father. After graduating from high school, Howard decided to place college on hold for a little bit and headed to New York to play some serious chess. While participating in chess, he was brought in to a poker game taking place in the rear of the room. Howard’s initial two years were difficult as he played extensive hours and don’t win a majority of the time. He earned some extra cash by becoming an runner for the poker players. He theorized he might improve his game by balancing his life away from poker. He made an effort to get more sleep and focus attention even more on the game.
The actual improvement in his abilities happened when he began wagering at the Mayfair Club in New York City. The Mayfair was a bridge and backgammon association where the the most favorable gamblers would often challenge one another. He had access into some of the foremost players in chess. With their assistance, he would tweak his strategic thinking techniques. Howard applied these strategic ideas to the game of No-Limit hold’em.
Howard Lederer also helped his sister Annie Duke learn poker. She was a superb student of poker as she constantly asked questions about how to make the proper decision. Howard told Annie to head out to Vegas and play in the WSOP tournaments. Annie Duke is one of the greatest female players the poker world today. Howard Lederer headed to Las Vegas in 1993 and competed in money games for the next 10 years. When the World Poker Tournament gained popularity, he decided to compete in more tournaments.
