As far as I can tell, strength is a dump stat and doesn't do anything. Dex is better because it increases the target hitbox. Bat's still worth it because 2 regular hits will kill vs 4 regular unarmed. You can avoid losing money by simply not selling the chips until you have enough to buy what you want. Losing takes half your money, but you keep items, so just go in when you have no money and you can't lose anything.