A slot is a narrow notch, groove, or opening, such as a keyway in a piece of machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. You can also use the word to refer to a position in a group, series, or sequence: He slotted the book into the shelf.
In football, the slot receiver is a wide receiver who lines up inside and slightly behind the line of scrimmage (although sometimes they are lined up on the line of scrimmage to maintain seven players). Slot receivers are shorter than traditional wide receivers and need to have speed and agility to beat coverage. They also need to be able to run routes that coordinate with other receivers, as well as having good blocking skills, especially when running routes like slants and sweeps.
In modern electronic slot machines, symbols appear on the reels in a pattern that is determined by the probability of hitting particular combinations. The symbols can be anything from classic fruit symbols to bars and lucky 7s, to more advanced graphics that feature a variety of themes and features. The number of possible combinations on a slot machine is limited only by the amount of space available for them, so casinos may have to limit jackpot sizes and the total payouts for specific symbols. If you want to know how much you can win on a given slot machine, look for the pay table or rules, which will tell you how many ways you can win on each symbol and any limits on jackpot amounts.