A slot is a narrow opening in something, such as the hole in a door that a bolt fits into. In a machine, it is the location where a coin drops into a mechanism to make it work. It can also refer to the position of a stop on a reel. If you say someone has a good slot, you mean they have a good chance of winning.
A computer program, such as a random number generator (RNG), decides your sequence of three numbers and then matches them to the corresponding stops on the slot reels. It does this using an internal sequence table, which is a list of symbols and their frequencies on each reel.
If you’re playing slots, choose the machines with a HELP or INFO button that will explain how the game works. The underlying mathematics behind them is complex, and it can be difficult to see why some machines appear hot or cold. The truth is, no machine can guarantee a certain number of wins or outcomes. It’s like rolling dice — you may feel lucky after hitting four sixes in a row, but the odds of hitting another six are no different than they were before.
In aviation, the allocated time and space, authorized by an airport or air-traffic control authority, for an aircraft to take off or land. The term can also refer to a position in an organization, such as the job of chief copy editor or the slot on a newscast team.