A man in Saipan was arrested for beating his wife after she complained about his poker playing.

According to media reports, Shou Ji Zheng, 39, of Saipan, was arrested Thursday and charged with assault and battery after punching his wife.

Saipan is the capital city of the Northern Mariana Islands, a tiny island nation in the Northern Pacific.

A police account of the incident stated that a police officer arrived at Zheng’s apartment in Saipan at about 11 p.m. Thursday in response to a report of a domestic disturbance, media reports said.

The account stated that during the incident, Zheng punched his wife in the right eye twice, media reports said.

The account also stated that the violence occurred after Zheng returned home after a night of poker playing and he and his wife argued about his gambling habit, media reports said.

Zheng’s wife suffered a swollen eye in the attack, but refused hospital treatment, media reports said.

After his arrest and booking, Zheng was released on $1,000 bail, media reports said.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)