(N/C?) Need thoughts on applied math MS

[Subfallen]

(1) If I want to go into research, but I'm not sure of which field, can going for an applied math MS be a bad move? My current math background is sparse (only up to Cal3), so I would need probably a year of remedial work as well.

(2) What sort of schools can I consider applying to? I'm 22, I finished a MS in computer science from a state school two years ago. But I only worked 6 months before (nearly) going crazy and quit my job to play poker. So my resume has a gap...I had 4.0 in all coursework undergrad and graduate, and I scored 800/750 quant/verbal on the GRE.