A slot is an opening in a machine into which something can be inserted, or in a piece of equipment or device. It can also refer to a position in a group, series or sequence, or a job within an organization. In computer science, a slot is the operation issue and data path machinery surrounding a set of one or more execution units (also called functional units). The term can be applied to both dynamically scheduled machines and those with central flow management.
Slot is from slit, hole, or cutout, probably from an earlier sense of “a bolt used to fasten a door, window, etc.” It may also have been influenced by slit, the name for a narrow bar or bolt in medieval architecture (see slit2). Figuratively, it means a position in a group or hierarchy: “he was put into a top-level managerial slot.”
In football, a player in a key position on the outside of the field, closer to the line of scrimmage than other receivers, making him or her more vulnerable to big hits. Wide receivers like Tyreek Hill and Julian Edelman excel in this role because they can run routes that are difficult for blitz-happy teams to cover.
When playing a slot, it is important to understand the rules of the game. The pay table and information screens will provide details on how much you can win by landing certain combinations on a single reel, multiple consecutive reels or all ways pays machines. In addition, the rules of the game will give you insight into probability – what the chances are of hitting a certain combination based on the total number of possible symbols that can be landed.