Improved skipping strategies for cochlear or other multi-channel neural stimulation implants selects N out of M channels for stimulation during a given stimulation frame. A microphone transduces acoustic energy into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is processed by a family of bandpass filters, or the equivalent, to produce a number of frequency channels. In a first embodiment, a probability based channel selection strategy computes a probably for each of the M channels based on the strength of each channel. N channels are probabilistically selected for stimulation based on their individual probability. The result is a randomized "stochastic" stimulus presentation to the patient. Such randomized stimulation reduces under representation of weaker channels for steady state input conditions such as vowels. In second, third and fourth embodiments, a variable threshold is adjusted to obtain the selection of N channels per frame.