A slot is a position in a group, series, sequence or set. It can also be a time allocation, as in the case of a scheduled take off or landing slot at an airport. The term is also used to refer to an opening in a game such as chess or poker, or the position in an ice hockey team that affords a good vantage point from which to attack the opposing goaltender.

A player is said to be in a slot if they have reached a certain level of the progressive jackpot. A slew of other calculations are then made to see how close the player is to that particular slot’s “must-win” amount, as determined by a complex series of equations.

The pay table is usually displayed as an icon near the bottom of a slot machine’s screen, and will display how much can be won for landing combinations of standard symbols on a winning payline. It may also include information on how to trigger the bonus features, as well as how much can be won for landing combinations of special symbols.

It is a common misconception that a slot is more likely to pay out soon after it resets, but there is no scientific evidence to support this theory. Instead, a progressive jackpot is more attractive to players once it has had some time to build up. It is for this reason that many players choose to play the same machine in order to reach that point when the jackpot is due to payout.