What is a Slot?
A position in a group, series, sequence, etc., often referring to a particular place on the machine’s reels. Also known as a slot, slot refers to the position in which the winning combination of symbols will land on the reels. Many slots have multiple paylines, so it’s important to check the payout table before you start playing to make sure you know how to make a win.
A machine that accepts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, paper tickets with barcodes that are inserted into a slot and activated by a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen). The slot machine then spins the reels to rearrange the symbols and then pays out credits based on the paytable.
The chance that a game will return a specific percentage of the money it takes in, usually between 90%-97%. The percentage is calibrated before the game goes live by analyzing millions of data points. Unlike other casino games, slot returns are not a smooth, bell-curve; instead, they tend to come in bigger though less frequent chunks.
The pattern of horizontal lines in a slot that must line up for a winning combination. In modern video slots, this may not always be the case and can even go diagonally, but the odds of landing on a payline you haven’t placed a bet on will still be significantly lower than if you have matched symbols across an entire payline. Payout tables usually display this information visually with a colourful graphic, so it’s easy to understand.