[maddog2030]

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The biggest thing that I'm missing to this point is why? Why do I want to seize impetus? Why do I want to surrender it? What situations do I need to look for, and what do I need to consider to use impetus as a weapon of my own?

He made a couple posts about this, and has mentioned it as a key skill that some of his backees have acquired. Seems to be pretty important and effective then, so I'd like to have a better understanding.

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For some reason I see a lot of people refering to this concept as pot control especially in the cash game forums. Although it's related, I'm not sure why people use pot control over a term like betting impetus.

Anyway, betting impetus controls how the hand plays out. Who's currently the aggressor in the hand? Bluffs tend to work if you currently hold betting impetus (eg. contiuation bet). Marginally good hands often gain the most value by surrendering betting impetus (eg. checking with a pair to induce a pure bluff by your opponent). Had you not surrendered betting impetus, your opponent would have never bluffed. Essentially you are manipulating your opponents hand ranges (either widening or shortening depending on what you want to do) and what he does with those hands.

On a side note: You've been asking some good questions lately/making some good posts that are at least thinking in the right direction. I meant to respond to some of them but ended up forgetting (namely the one on how to play different hands).