A slit or narrow opening, especially one for receiving something, as a coin or a letter. (Origin unknown)

(Courtesy of Collins English Dictionary)

During the time when slot machines were first developed, they were fairly simple and punters only needed to keep track of a few paylines and symbols. However, today’s games have a lot more going on and as such, players need to pay close attention to the information available to them. This information is usually displayed on the pay table, which can either be physically located directly on the machine or for video and online slots, can be found under a menu or help button on the screen.

The information contained within a slot’s pay table will vary depending on the game, but it normally includes a list of all the symbols in the slot along with their payouts and any other special rules that may apply such as bonus features. Likewise, the odds of winning at a particular slot will also be listed here in an easy to understand way.

When choosing which slot to play, it’s important to remember that luck plays a significant role. That said, picking machines based on what you like is an effective strategy as it will increase your enjoyment of the game. For example, you might find that you like penny slots more than quarter or dollar machines, or that you prefer cluster pays slots to multi-payline or all-ways slots.