Whenever you play slots, the game will give you a chance to win credits based on the pay table. A pay table will display the payout values for different symbols in a slot, along with other information like how many paylines you can activate and what the bonus features are. Originally, these tables appeared on the machines themselves, but now, as games have become more complex and consist of giant HD computer monitors, they are typically embedded into the help screens.
The slot is the vertical alignment of symbols on a slots machine, or reels. The slot can be three, five, or more rows, depending on the type of game. The paylines are the lines on a slot that you can land symbols on to trigger a winning combination. Generally, the more matching symbols you can land on a payline, the higher the payout value will be. Bonus features can also be found in the pay table and may include additional reels, free spins, and other rewards. These are designed to increase your chances of winning by increasing the number of symbols you can land on the payline.
A slot is a narrow opening into which something can be fitted or inserted, especially one in a machine that accepts coins: The coin entered the slot and the bell rang. A slot is also a time or place for an aircraft to take off or land, as authorized by airports and air-traffic control: We need to book a flight for tomorrow afternoon at the appropriate slot.
Another use of the word is in the phrase “slotting someone into a job”: He was given a slot as chief sub-editor of The Gazette. There are numerous synonyms for slot: slit, opening, window, gap, hole, vacancy, position, spot. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language offers many more, citing usage dating back to the 1520s:
In slots, a slot is the space in which a coin can be placed to initiate the spinning of the reels and the awarding of credits based on the paytable. A slot can be physical, electronic, or both, and can be a standalone machine or part of a carousel. A slot can also be a symbol on the front of a slot machine, which flashes to indicate that change is needed, hand pay is requested, or that there is a problem with the machine.
The original slot machines were mechanical and dispensed coins when the reels stopped spinning. Modern slot machines are operated by pushing a button (physical or virtual) to activate the reels and allow the coin to fall into the appropriate slot. The reels then stop to reposition the symbols, and when the machine pays out, the amount is displayed on the credit meter. The credit meter can be a simple seven-segment display or, on video slots, a large LCD screen with stylized text that matches the game’s theme and user interface. In addition to displaying the amount won, some slot machines display other information such as the percentage of total money returned to players over a certain period of time.