A narrow notch, groove, or opening, such as a keyway in machinery or a slit for coins in a machine. Also: a position in a schedule or sequence. He booked his haircut for the 2 p.m. slot.
In aviation, a slot is authorization for a plane to take off or land on a certain day at a busy airport. Slots are used to prevent excessive delays at these airports by limiting the number of flights that can take off and land in a given time period.
A slot machine is a gambling machine that accepts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, paper tickets with barcodes that serve as credit. When activated by a lever or button, the reels spin and stop to rearrange the symbols, revealing winning combinations according to the paytable. The symbols vary by game but classics include fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens.
One common strategy is to look for a machine that recently cashed out, since it’s likely that the previous player left with a large amount of money (though this can backfire if other knowledgeable players are ready to swoop in and play the machine before you). Another trick is to try to spot a machine that shows ten gold balls—it will probably award its bonus if you collect them all.
Some slot games have complex pay tables that explain how different symbols payout or trigger special features. It’s important to understand these rules in order to maximize your chances of winning.