A slit, opening, or groove, especially a narrow one. (Also, in American football and rugby union, a gap between the posts or other barriers.) To fit into a slot. (Also, in computer technology, a place for an expansion card.) A device, such as a door or window, into which a slot can be inserted. (Also, in chess, a square or rectangle adjacent to an intersection of lines, used for placing pieces). (Also, in British slang, a prison cell, a job, a berth, a place in line, or a vacancy.)

The pay table is the list of symbols that pays out credits depending on whether they appear on a winning combination, or “pay line.” This is generally shown above or below the reels, and in some video slots it is located within a help menu.

Modern slot machines use random number generators to pick the sequence of symbols stopped on each spin. These computer chips retain no memory, so each spin is a distinct event unaffected by those that came before or after it. Therefore, winning is left almost entirely to luck.

If you see another player win a big jackpot shortly after you, don’t be upset. The odds that you would have pressed the button exactly in that same split-second are incredibly minute. And the odds that you hit that particular symbol — or even any of the other symbols — are much worse. This is why the payouts on some slot machines seem so high.