In a game of chance, a slot is an area of the screen or reels in which a symbol can land. The number of symbols in the slot and their placement on the reels determine whether a player wins or loses. This is why it’s important to know the rules before playing.

In modern casinos, slot machines use microprocessors to create random number sequences for each spin. The computer then records the resulting three-number sequence and finds a matching reel location in an internal sequence table. Once it has found the correct reel position, the computer causes the digital reels to stop at those locations. The symbols in the slot’s payline will then determine if and how much the player wins.

A slot is also a term used in computer hardware to refer to a specific expansion port, usually on a motherboard. A CPU or GPU may have several slots, each of which can support different expansion cards. Likewise, an expansion slot on a PC can support one or more RAM modules.

Sports A slot receiver is a wide receiver who operates off of pure speed and a route tree that prioritizes short routes, such as slants and quick outs. These players are becoming increasingly popular in the NFL and can make a huge difference to a team’s passing attack, as they can stretch the defense vertically.