Slot – Definitions and Uses

slot

A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as in a keyway in machinery or a slit for a coin in a machine. Also, a time slot in a schedule or program.

A slit or slot in a machine into which a coin may be dropped to activate the machine and begin paying out credits according to the paytable. Slots are typically themed and have multiple pay lines. Some are simple, with one or three horizontal lines; others have a more complex grid of geometrical shapes, up to 1024 paylines on some video machines.

In football, a slot receiver is a wide receiver who lines up inside the formation and acts as an extra blocker for running plays like sweeps and slant routes. Because they are closer to the line of scrimmage, slot receivers must be able to handle physical coverage and still provide excellent route running skills. They also need to be able to block effectively in run defense.

In a slot game, players insert cash or, in the case of “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, paper tickets with barcodes into a designated slot on the machine and then activate it by pressing a lever or button (either physical or virtual on a touchscreen). The reels spin and stop to rearrange the symbols. A player can then activate a bonus round or payout by matching a winning combination of symbols, as described in the game’s paytable. A winning combination can be a single symbol, multiple symbols, or all of the symbols on a given reel.