So this indicates that some passport control points and/or officials use different systems/criteria and/or discretion than others e.g. central/bkk vs. upcountry, phuket vs. ban nok or aranyaprathet vs. nongkhai etc?
I guess that may well be the case for visa exempt entry too ????
Well I'm one of the 'few' on here who (admit) to being denied & no I didn't have the cash or onward ticket on me so definitely didn't help my case ????
So I totally understand why OP is trying to maximise his chance of getting in after his previous denial because in most likelihood we'll never get the real reason behind actual denials & the more frequent 'interviews'.