A thin opening in something, like a mail slot or the hole in an umbrella. Also: 1. In air travel, an allocated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, granted by an airport or air-traffic control authority. 2. In ornithology, a narrow notch or other opening between the tips of the primaries in some birds, which during flight maintains a smooth flow of air over the wings.
3. A position on the field, especially in American football, where a player can make big plays. A slot receiver is typically smaller and quicker than other wide receivers, but must still be able to run fast routes and avoid tackling.
4. In slot machines, the predetermined way in which symbols line up on a reel to trigger a paying winning combination. Most slots pay out when three or more matching symbols are landed on a payline. However, not all slots are the same and some have different ways of forming winning combinations. This information can be found in the pay table, which can usually be accessed from an icon close to the game screen.
The payout odds for a slot machine are displayed in the pay window of the machine. These odds can be in the form of an odds ratio (for example, 50 : 1), a multiplication coefficient (for instance, x50) or as an amount relative to the credits/coins staked in the slot. These odds are calculated by using probability and can vary from game to game.