What Is a Slot?

A slot is a narrow depression, notch, groove, or slit, especially one for receiving or admitting something, as a coin or a letter. Also: a position within a series or sequence; a time period (e.g., a haircut appointment at the 2 p.m. slot). Synonyms: berth, billet, slot, position, window, hole, spot, opening, vacancy.

Online slots can be played on desktop computers, mobile devices, and tablets. They have a variety of features and pay out based on the symbols and payout combinations they contain. The rules of a particular game vary, so it is important to read them before playing. Some games have jackpot levels that increase over time. Others have bonus levels or special game mechanics that open up additional prize combinations.

Advantage play can be a lucrative strategy for experienced players, but it requires careful monitoring of jackpots and machine conditions to identify the right opportunities. The main techniques are observing machine states left by previous players, being observant of jackpot levels, and understanding how machines payout.

In a Google Cloud deployment, each organization has its own set of available capacity, called a slot. Dedicated slot capacity can be reserved for a single application, or shared among several applications. Dedicated slots are used by applications with the highest priority, and shared slots are used by those with lower priorities. In addition, unused committed slot capacity can be “borrowed” by applications with higher priorities to help reduce tail latency.