Loser men and the women who love them

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been pretty busy getting used to the new job and keeping up with things at home. I'll write and tell you all about it soon. But first I just have to tell you about what happened the other night when we went to play poker at a friend's house.
D. and I were invited for a friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em poker at a friend's house. There were 2 single guys, a married guy that came without his wife, another married couple and D and I. We each put $10 in the pot and got 25 chips to play with. The winner would get $50 and 2nd place would get $20. Not huge stakes, but it made it fun.
So we're sitting there playing and, of course, I get elimated first. No big deal, I'm having fun anyway. Then, the other married guy and one of the single guys gets elimated. Then D got elimated. So it was down to one single guy and the married couple. The wife starts doing really well and is catching up to her husband while the single guy gets closer and closer to being out. The husband starts making nasty comments about the way his wife is playing, even though it's working for her and she's starting to win more and more. Then the husband asks where "Murph" is (this other guy we know that said he might come, but I'm glad he didn't because he's a loud-mouthed, obnoxious, drunk) and saying he'd be happier losing to "Murph" than to his wife because at least "Murph" knows how to play. I couldn't believe he was saying that and at first, I thought he was joking.
Finally, the other single guy was elimated and since it was only the married couple left, the guy holding the money slid it across the table towards them and we all got ready to play another round. We all thought that since it was just the 2 of them left, it didn't matter who was first or second because the money goes to the same place anyway. Boy, were we wrong. The husband announces that they are going to keep playing so he can beat her and she can see how you're 'supposed to play'. Again, I still kinda thought he was joking. But he was all too serious.
Sure enough, his wife started beating him and after one hand that she beat him at, he shoved the chips at her and knocked them all over the place. She seemed to take it in stride and joked that he was just being a baby and a sore loser, but I couldn't believe how childish and horrible he was acting towards his wife in front of their friends. He was totally pissed off and out of control, calling her stupid and everything. I couldn't believe she just sat there and took that kind of abuse from him. Needless to say, it made everyone uncomfortable and we were all really glad when they decided not to stay for another game after that.
After they left, everyone seemed to relax and have a better time. I've never really liked this guy and can't help but wonder what this woman is thinking staying with a guy like that. Then again, I wondered what she was thinking when they first got together. When she met him, he had a 2 month old daughter by an ex girlfriend. Next thing I knew, she was pg by him and their son is less than 14 months younger than his daughter. They married shortly after their son was born. Now, I've heard through the grapevine that she recently caught him cheating on her and they've only been married just under 2 years. What can she be thinking?
The thing that really gets me is that she is such a sweet person. She doesn't deserve to be treated that way and I don't understand why she puts up with it. (Not that any woman deserves it, but you know what I mean). Why do some women have such low self-esteem that they allow men like this to treat them like dirt? I guess every woman at one time or another in her life goes through a phase of trying to save the world one loser man at a time, but it's still hard to sit by and watch someone so nice stay with a loser like this. Oh well, I guess I can only hope for their child's sake that he grows up and realizes what he has and starts to value her more before it's too late. What a jerk!!!