A narrow opening into which something can be inserted. Often used for coins or letters. Also: 1. a position or place in a sequence or series; a slot in a timetable. 2. a position or spot on the line of a typewriter or keyboard, or a piece of paper; an assignment or job. 3. Sports A position on a football team, especially one that lines up in front of the quarterback or in the wide receiver position and primarily receives passes. Often referred to as a “slotback.” Examples include the recently retired Darren Sproles and Larry Fitzgerald, as well as current players Christian McCaffrey and Christian Ponder.

When a player inserts cash or, in the case of “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode, into a designated slot on a machine, it activates a mechanism that spins reels and then stops them to rearrange symbols according to a pattern. If a player matches a winning combination of symbols, they earn credits based on the paytable. Most slot games have a theme, and the symbols and other bonus features are aligned with it.

Understanding the pay table on a slot game is key to making the best decision about how much to wager. This information can be shown as small tables with different colors that show how many paylines a machine has and what the maximum payout is for each symbol. It can also explain any caps that a casino may place on jackpot amounts.