A narrow opening, slit, or groove in which something may be fitted or passed: He slotted the coin into the slot on the counter. A reserved place or position, as for a flight or a meeting: After checking in, waiting in line at the gate, battling the overhead lockers, and settling into your seat, you finally get the captain’s word: “We’re on our slot.”
In gambling, a machine with reels that spin and allow coins to pass through; also, an allocated time when a particular aircraft can take off or land. A slot may also refer to the job or position of a chief copy editor: He had the slot at the Gazette for 20 years.
The earliest slot machines were mechanical devices that allowed gamblers to insert coins and watch the symbols align on the payline, which gave them their name. In the 19th century, Charles Fey improved upon Sittman and Pitt’s invention by adding more reels and allowing automatic payouts. He replaced the poker symbols with more modern ones, including diamonds, spades, horseshoes, hearts, and liberty bells. These became the standard symbols in modern slot machines.
While many players believe that a specific symbol is ‘due’ to appear, the actual outcome of each slot spin is determined by the random number generator (RNG) that controls them. It’s therefore impossible to know when a slot will hit a winning combination, so gamblers should choose machines based on their own preferences rather than hoping for a certain outcome.