A slot is a narrow opening in something. You might use the word to describe an opening in a door or a piece of machinery, or you could talk about a time slot on a calendar, for example, “I have a meeting from 11:00 to 12:00.” The term may also refer to a specific space in a computer. For example, a slot on a motherboard might be used to hold an expansion card such as an ISA, PCI, or AGP card. There are also hardware slots on a computer, such as the motherboard’s CPU, RAM, and BIOS slots.

In slot machines, a pay table tells players what they can win by landing certain combinations of symbols on a pay line. This information can be found on the machine’s screen or, in some cases, printed on a booklet that you can pick up at the casino. In addition to explaining the payouts, a pay table can also provide important information about bonus features and other rules of the game.

Another important aspect of a slot’s pay table is its probability table. This chart shows the odds of each symbol appearing on a given reel and how often it appears over a certain number of spins. It can help players understand the probabilities of hitting various symbols and make better decisions when playing slot machines.

The symbols on a slot machine’s reels vary according to the theme, but there are some classics, such as bells, spades, diamonds, horseshoes, and stylized lucky sevens. Many modern slot games have more elaborate symbols, and many feature themes that are inspired by popular movies or TV shows. In addition to the standard symbols, some slots have themed bonus features that can reward players with extra spins or other prizes.

In a slot machine, the symbols on the reels are weighted differently by microprocessors inside the machine. This is why it is possible to see the same winning symbol appear on multiple rows of the reels. Before the advent of microprocessors, the weighting was done by physical switches on the machine’s reels. This limited the number of combinations and the potential jackpot size.

A common myth is that a slot machine will pay out if it has been unused for a long time or if someone else has just left the same machine after seeing a big jackpot hit. This is not true, and following superstitions like this can quickly lead to losing money on slot games. Fortunately, understanding how slot machines work and knowing how to size your bets appropriately can give you the best chance of winning at them.