Your post reminded me of Bob Dylan. I wonder if that is relevant? Was the novel written at around the same time?

No, based on your link, jmh, http://www.bobdylan.com/albums/infidels.html
Dylan's Infidels was written in 1983. Of course, the fact that many poker addicts are also prone to infidelity is well known. So your suspicion of a connection there is understandable.