PLAYERS NETWORKS

After done with college, Howard moved to New York to track his passion for chess. He soon discovered a poker game in the back room of his favorite chess club - and was immediately hooked. For two years, Howard played poker relentlessly – 70 to 80 hours a week - and went home broke nine out of 10 nights.

He would earn his nightly stake by running errands for the players. The frenetic pace caught up with him and he realized that playing all-nighters wasn’t helping his game. He took a couple of steps back, got more sleep, and saw his results improve. Howard made big strides in his game when he started to play at the Mayfair Club in New York. The Mayfair was a legendary bridge and backgammon club - home to the greatest games players in the world.

He became part of a circle of world-class games players who were the first to experiment with No-Limit Hold ‘em when it was introduced in New York City. The daily game at the Mayfair would begin at 4PM and wind down by 2AM, when all the players would retire to their favorite bar for a lively discussion of the day’s game.

The camaraderie among the players created an invaluable learning environment. Everyone was new to the game, but the ideas flowed freely and elevated their playing efforts. This group of early players included Dan Harrington, Steve Zolotow, Jay Heimowitz, and Erik Seidel. Howard continued to hone his skills and in November of 2002, won his first WPT Championship title in at Foxwoods.

In March of 2003, Howard won his second WPT Championship title in the $5,000 Limit Hold ‘em event on The Poker Million cruise. Just one month later, Howard won the first of his three Bellagio titles in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold ‘em event at the 2003 Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic. His second Bellagio win was in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold ‘em event in April 2004. His third Bellagio title came just 13 days later in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Nowadays, Howard enjoys providing commentary and analysis on FullTiltPoker Learn from the Pros and FSN’s Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, lending credence to his nickname, “The Professor.”

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