A narrow depression, groove, notch, or slit; especially, one for receiving something such as a coin or letter: a mail slot. Also:

An assigned position in a schedule or sequence: The program was given a new time slot.

The place, position, or gap into which something fits: He slotted his appointment at four o’clock.

In slot games, the pay table is a built-in hub of accessible information that contains the game’s symbols, payouts, bonus features, and paylines. Understanding how to read a slot pay table is key to playing the game correctly and winning the most prizes possible.

When slots were first created, they were very simple, with a standard set of symbols and a single payline across the game grid. However, as slot machines have become more complex, developers have introduced a variety of different mechanics and special symbols to give players more options for winning jackpots. This has made it important for slots to include detailed information tables known as pay tables that explain the symbols, payouts, and bonus features in each game.

While there are some minor differences between how different online slot machines present their pay tables, the overall structure is universal. Most online slot games feature a button that looks like a chart or grid icon for players to access the pay table. Other online slots will incorporate their pay table information into the game’s Menu or Help icons. Regardless of where the information is located, though, it’s easy to understand the basics of how to read a slot pay table and make informed decisions about how to play a slot machine.