If you’ve ever played slots, you know that the outcome is completely dependent on chance. There are no choices you can make to positively or negatively affect the outcome. However, you can practice slot etiquette to help ensure that your experience is a positive one for everyone.
In a slot machine, the payline is the line on which you can win a payout if you have lined up matching symbols. It can be straight or it may take a zig-zag shape. Most slots have several paylines that can be adjusted, while others offer a set number of fixed paylines.
A slot is also a narrow notch, groove, or opening, such as a keyway in machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. It is sometimes used figuratively to refer to a position in a group, series, or sequence.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word’slot.’ Views expressed in these examples do not represent the opinions of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
When you play a slot, you insert cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a slot and activate the reels to spin. Symbols then appear on the reels and, if they match a winning combination in the paytable, you earn credits based on the paytable. Typical symbols include objects like fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Many slot games have a theme, and the symbols and bonus features are aligned with that theme.