A slot is a narrow notch, groove or opening. It can also refer to a position in a group, sequence or series, such as a time slot on a calendar. A slot can be found in hardware and software, as well as in the human body.

A slots game is a video game that involves spinning reels to form combinations of symbols that earn the player credits based on the pay table. Most slots have a specific theme and the symbols and bonus features are aligned with that theme. For example, a desert-themed slot might feature wild symbols that can substitute for other icons to create winning combinations.

When a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode, they activate the machine by pushing a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen). The reels then spin and stop to reveal a combination of symbols that award the player credits based on the pay table. Symbols range from classic objects such as fruits and bells to stylized lucky sevens. In addition to a pay table, slot machines typically have a “taste” attribute that determines how much of the available credit it will award for a particular spin.

In electromechanical slot machines, the taste attribute was determined by the “tilt” switch, which would make or break a circuit depending on whether the machine was tilted. Modern machines use microprocessors to weight particular symbols based on their appearance frequencies on each reel; for example, one symbol might only appear once in the visible area of the screen but could occupy several stops on multiple reels.