Quote Originally Posted by salsa4ever
I'm perpetually curious about other cultures

According to Wikipedia, Yeshiva is a year of religious study.

When is it customary to take this year off?
Is it customary to go to Israel to do it or can it be done in one's home country?
Is gambling inconsistent with Jewish religion, according to popular opinion?
Is gambling incompatible with Yeshiva? Again according to Wiki, it's permissible to work during Yeshiva, so if one sees themselves as a poker player by profession, is that OK?

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

P.S. I can't seem to find PRA's thread. I remember it and posting in it but I can't find it any more
It is customary for people to take this year off when they finish school (the year before Uni).
Some spend more than 1 year studying. I've decided to do 2 years. It may end up being more, but I don't have to make that decision yet.

Gambling is a shady area. No great Rabbi would ever consider gambling. My Rabbis were definitely very against me gambling.
I know that a respected Rabbi in London permits gambling for smallish amounts, but he would be gambling for the amounts of money that I play for online ($1kNL). He would not let his own children gamble.
According to Sephardic Jews, it is forbidden to gamble at all. According to Ashkenazic Jews it is a bad idea to gamble. (Sephardic Jews are from Spain, Middle East, etc.) (Ashkenazic Jews are from Germany, Poland, Lithunia, etc.).
It talks about gambling in the Talmud (San Hedrin chapter 3). The conclusion there is that gambling is permitted as long as it isn't your only job. But even so, it is considered like the dust of stealing and no learned, G-d fearing Jew would ever gamble themselves.

There are other Yeshiva's around the world, but you'll find most of them in Israel.
It isn't a custom to go to Yeshiva. By going to Yeshiva, one is spending a year learning how about Judaim and how to best serve G-d. There are people that spend 3, 4, 8, 15+ years at Yeshiva. Rabbis will have spent a fairly long time im learning. I think I will probably stay 2 or 3 years in total. One's years at Yeshiva have a big role in defining who one for the rest of their lives.
Other people in England also take a year off between school and uni, but they will probably go travelling if they took a year off.

There are many different types of Jews though, so it is hard to give you a complete answer. I've just given my opinion.

Religious Judaism in general frowns on gambling.