What is a Slot?

Slot

Slot is a term used in computer hardware to describe an opening in the motherboard that accommodates an expansion card such as an ISA, PCI or AGP slot. There are also a number of memory slots in modern motherboards as well.

In poker, a card with a high point value that has been removed from the deck is said to have gone “in the slot.” This card may have been removed due to a bluff, or because of an opponent’s decision to fold. The term “slot” is also commonly applied to a position in the field of play, such as the low slot in hockey where wingers have an advantageous angle for wrist shots to the net.

When playing slot machines, the player inserts coins or paper tickets with barcodes into a slot and pulls a lever to activate them. If symbols line up in a winning combination, the player receives credits based on how much he or she bet previously. The payouts are determined by the type of symbols, how they align on the reels and their respective win factors. In addition, the number of paylines on a machine can be varied as well.

A common method for cheating slot machines was to use ordinary magnets to interfere with the movement of the reels. These magnets were placed on top of the reels and were removed only when the spinning reels had lined up in a winning combination. This was an attempt to circumvent coin recognition software, which grew progressively more sophisticated over time.

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