I went down a bit of a rabbit hole with different staking approaches over the last month, mostly on low and mid-volatility pokies. Wasn't expecting some magic trick or anything, just wanted to see if changing the way I sized bets made the sessions feel better or worse.
The boring one was flat stakes, same amount every spin. Honestly... probably the easiest to live with. Bankroll lasted longer, I knew pretty quickly where I stood, and it stopped me doing that classic "just bump it a bit" move when the feature felt overdue. Not exciting, but pretty solid if you're trying to have a decent arvo without torching the lot.
I also tried those little step-up routines where you raise it after a win or after a small streak. Bit more fun, I'll give it that. When a game was already paying and I caught a bonus at the higher amount, it felt like a ripper decision. Problem is I also gave plenty back doing the same thing because a few dead spins come out of nowhere and you're suddenly wondering why you doubled your base.
The roughest one by a mile was the loss-chasing style, doubling or jumping up after misses. On paper some people make it sound tidy, but pokies don't really care about your plan, mate. A cold run just chews through the bankroll way too fast. I had one session where I barely got going before I was already at stakes I normally wouldn't touch.
Big thing for me was this: none of these changed the actual game. Return rate stayed the same, hit rate stayed the same, the machine wasn't suddenly nicer because I had a system scribbled in my notes. What changed was the pace of the ups and downs, and how much discipline I had left once the session got messy.
If I had to keep one, it'd be flat stakes or maybe a very small press after a decent hit, with a hard cap and that's it. Anything more aggressive felt bloody hard to stick to once the mood changed. Keen to hear what other punters are doing though — anyone found a routine that genuinely helps with bankroll control without turning into full chase mode?