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TEANECK, N.J., August 6, 2010 – It began with casual conversations over breakfast and dinner in the dining room. Before they knew it, several residents at Heritage Pointe of Teaneck, a full-service rental retirement community, discovered a shared love of all things poker, and the Heritage Pointe Poker Club was started.
 
Gerry Wagner, who came to Heritage Pointe last year, got the Poker Club rolling last fall, and today, six men meet three times a week in the community’s card and billiards room to play their favorite game.
 
“We started out with five guys playing a couple of times a week, and today we have a waiting list,” explained Wagner. “Poker is so popular, we’re thinking of starting another game so other men can play.” In addition to Wagner, the Heritage Pointe Poker Club includes Albert Guidone, Bill Rini, Sam Krol, Ed Liebman and newcomer Bob Leopold, who recently joined the game.
 
“It’s dealer’s choice,” said Rini, who serves as the club’s dealer. “We take turns choosing which style of poker to play – seven card stud, high/low, five card draw – we play them all,” he added.
 
Just as the men were thinking of forming the Poker Club, Krol’s daughter-in-law bought him a gift of a set of clay Las Vegas-style poker chips packed in a handsome metal case. “That sealed it for us,” noted Krol. “Of course we had to start playing so we could use these beautiful chips.”
 
The men have been enjoying the social aspect of their time together as much as playing the game. “It’s like a boys’ club,” noted Wagner. “We really enjoy getting together.”
 
Wagner and Rini are both active as well in the Teaneck Trailblazers of Heritage Pointe, a walking club made up of residents and area retirees who take weekly trail hikes in the adjacent 46-acre Teaneck Creek Conservancy; the hikes are led by Rini, an avid outdoorsman. When the weather is inclement and the Trailblazers don’t walk outdoors, the men will often call for an impromptu poker game. “We’ll find any excuse to play,” mused Wagner.
 
Playing cards together is one of many ways the men are enjoying their life-long pastimes and exploring new interests at Heritage Pointe. For example, Wagner also participates in the weekly cultural outings to area museums and to Broadway shows; Sam Krol and Ed Liebman enjoy the musical entertainment and Happy Hours held for residents; and Albert Guidone mentioned movie nights as one his favorite activities outside of the poker games.
 
In addition to exploring artistic, social and cultural pursuits, other residents are also finding new ways to socialize and share common interests in their retirement years. For example, several women formed the Heritage Pointe Knitting Club this past winter, which meets every week. The women work with an instructor on personal projects as well as to knit one-of-a-kind lap blankets for chemotherapy patients at nearby Holy Name Medical Center.
 
“Heritage Pointe provides many opportunities for our residents to stay active and engaged,” noted Lorraine Amendola, director of life enrichment at the elegant community. “On-site fitness classes, lectures and special presentations, trips, entertainment – there’s always something going on for residents to enjoy.”
 
Heritage Pointe of Teaneck is located at 600 Frank W. Burr Boulevard, near Route 4 just off of Interstates 80 and 95. The rental retirement community offers spacious apartments, fine dining, distinctive amenities and a host of activities for active retirees. For more information about the Heritage Pointe lifestyle or to arrange a tour, call (201) 836-9260 or visit www.heritagepointeofteaneck.com.