What is a Slot?

A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as in a keyway in machinery or a slit for coins in a vending machine. Also: an allocated, scheduled time and place for an aircraft to take off or land as authorized by an airport or air-traffic authority.

He dropped a coin in the slot and dialled.

In computer science, a slot is a location on a motherboard in which an expansion card can be installed. A slot is usually identified by a label or by a number. Several types of slots are available, each supporting one or more kinds of cards. For example, a PCI slot supports Intel and ATA cards. Similarly, an AGP slot supports AMD and AGP cards.

Slots are much easier to play than table games, and they offer the chance to win the biggest, most life-changing jackpots in a casino. However, winning at a slot machine is almost always a matter of luck. It is important to understand the rules of a particular machine and how to read its pay table.

A specialized form of slot, sometimes called an advantage slot, can give players a significant edge over the house. These machines can be found at many casinos and are distinguished by the fact that they retain certain machine states between plays, allowing advantage play to occur. Knowledgeable players can identify these machines by monitoring jackpot levels and by being observant of machine conditions that have been left behind by previous players.