Howard grew up in New Hampshire where his highly competitive family life prepared him for the world of high-stakes poker. Howard excelled in everything from hockey to board games. In fact, his love of chess took him to New York at the age of 18, where he got hooked on poker.
After much hard work and study Howard's poker game improved. He began winning more than he lost, and he started playing against the likes of Erik Seidel. He used his growing command of the game to help his sister, Annie Duke, break into the world of professional poker. They were the first brother and sister ever to make it to the same final table at the WSOP, but don't worry, they don't pull any punches when they play together - Annie has also knocked him out of two WSOP events, including the $10,000 main event.

Howard moved to Las Vegas in 1993 in order to take his game to the next level. After almost a decade of focusing on his cash game, the increasing popularity of tournament poker has allowed Howard to shift his focus. With a big buy in no limit hold'em tournament available virtually every month, Howard can play against the best in the world, vying for the hefty prizes that modern tournaments are offering.

Howard may be a powerful force in professional poker, but he still finds time to spend with his wife, Suzie, and his son, Mattias.