When it comes to winning at slot games, a player needs to be able to keep track of a number of different things. This includes the paylines, symbols and bonus features that are available. In order to make this easier, many slot games include information tables known as pay tables. These are usually presented as coloured tables that display how much a player can win by landing specific combinations of symbols on the pay lines.
In a traditional mechanical machine, a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a slot located on the machine. Then, a lever or button (physical or on a touchscreen) activates the reels to spin and rearrange the symbols. If the symbols line up with a pay line — a line in the middle of a viewing window that pays out depending on what pictures land on it — the machine awards credits according to the game’s payout table.
In modern video slots, a computer program determines which symbols are likely to line up with the pay line. The machine’s software uses a random number generator to generate this information. Regardless of the type of machine, the fundamental rules are the same: The more matching symbols land on a pay line, the higher the payout. The pay table indicates how much each matching symbol is worth and also what combinations of symbols will trigger a bonus feature.