What is a Slot?
A slot is a narrow opening, often in the form of a hole, through which something can be passed or inserted. A common example is the mail slot in an office door, into which one can drop letters and postcards.
The term “slot” is also used to refer to a position or assignment, such as a job opening or an airplane seat. For example, a person might be assigned the task of clearing aircraft from a busy airport on a certain day during a given time period.
It never ceases to amaze us how many people start playing an online slot without first checking out the pay table. The pay table is a guide that shows players what combinations of symbols will payout and how much each combination pays out. It may be displayed as an actual table with rows and columns or, like on video slots, it might be a series of slides that the player can scroll through to find out what to look for in a particular game.
On a traditional mechanical machine, the pay table would be printed on the face of the machine above and below the reels. On modern video and computerized machines, the pay tables are usually displayed as a separate window that can be accessed by clicking an icon on the machine’s screen. They may also be located within a help menu or by selecting a “help” button on the game screen.