A slot is a narrow opening in something, such as a machine or container. It is also a place or time in a schedule or program where an activity can take place. For example, I can schedule an appointment with my doctor during her next available slot. Someone can also slot something into another thing, such as a CD player or a car seat belt. When something slots into something else, it fits easily. I can slot my CD into the CD player and it fits snugly.
In the past, electromechanical slot machines would have tilt switches that made or broke a circuit and triggered an alarm if the machine was tilted or otherwise tampered with. This was a way to prevent players from cheating by adjusting the coin acceptor or tampering with the reels. While modern slot machines don’t have tilt switches, they do have a variety of other faults that can make them stop working.
The term hot slot is often used to describe a slot machine that is paying out money frequently. While this is true, it is important to remember that the odds of winning a slot machine are determined by the random number generator inside the machine and not by previous spins.
The POP and RTP of a slot are numbers that tell players how much the machine is set to payout in the long run (lifetime). The hold percentage is a measure of how much the machine holds on average during a short period of time (1 hr to 30 days). Some researchers have found that increased hold decreases the average time a player spends playing the machine.