A slot is an opening or position that can be occupied. It is also a term in computer hardware that refers to an expansion card with connection pinholes for additional circuitry that adds specialized capability, such as video acceleration or disk drive control.

A casino floor is a bright and enticing place full of jingling jangling slot machines that attract players like bees to honey. However, winning at a casino slot machine requires more than just luck and skill. Players must manage their bankroll carefully and make smart choices. One important tip is to avoid playing slot games that have not produced any wins for several spins. Instead, reduce the bet size and see if it produces more wins. If not, walk away before you lose any more money.

Slot is also the name of a football position that is increasingly replacing the full back position in many teams. With the shift to more spread offenses, there is a greater need for speedy athletes to catch passes in space. This has led to the development of the slot receiver, who lines up between the wide receiver and offensive tackle, and is covered by the slot corner.

From Middle English slit, slot, from Old Norse slitr, from Proto-Germanic *slutila, from slut, bolt, lock (source also of Dutch sluiten, German Schloss, and Swedish slutet) (compare with hole). The figurative sense of “position, berth, job” is first attested 1688; the meaning of “drop a coin into a slot” is 1589.