A slot is a narrow opening, like a hole or slit. It’s also the name for a particular position in something, such as a queue or a schedule. You can put letters and postcards through a mail slot at the post office. A slot can also refer to a place in the body, such as the chest or throat. You can also slot something into a machine or container, such as a CD player or car seat belt.

The pay table is an important guide for players, describing how different winning combinations payout. It’s typically displayed on the machine’s exterior or, for video and online slots, on the screen. It’s sometimes split up into pages or slides that you can cycle through or scroll down to read. It can also describe any bonus features the game has, though not all games have these.

Another crucial piece of information for players is the volatility of a slot. The higher the volatility, the more likely a machine is to pay out a big jackpot, but it can also mean smaller wins are less frequent.

The hold of a slot is the amount of time a machine holds a coin or ticket before releasing it. Increasing the hold decreases the average time players spend on machines. It’s an issue of balance – operators want to make more money, but they also need to ensure that players aren’t spending too much time on their machines.