A slot is a narrow opening or place. A person can put a coin or paper into a slot on a machine to get it to work, or they can play a video game that has slots for coins or tokens. There are also slots in computer motherboards for expansion cards like an ISA, PCI or AGP. A slot can also refer to the time period during which a television or radio program is broadcast.

It’s important to check the pay table before playing a slot. This will usually be displayed above or below the area containing the reels, but on video slots it may be contained within a help menu. The pay table will explain the various winning combinations and what they payout for. It will also give the minimum and maximum stake values and tell players how to adjust their bets.

In addition, the pay table may provide a percentage of the total amount that a slot is designed to return over a long period of time. This information is provided by the software that runs the slot, and it can be helpful to know how volatile a particular slot game is before you play.

It’s also worth remembering that a slot machine isn’t ‘due’ to hit on any given spin. This is one of the most common misconceptions that slot players have, but it’s just not true. The random number generator controls the results of each spin, and only those outcomes that conform to the rules in the pay table will receive a payout.