When you play a slot machine, you spin a set of reels with printed graphics by pulling a handle. Which images fall on the pay line, a line in the center of the view window, determines whether you win or lose.

The number of symbols a slot machine uses and how much you can win for landing them on a payline are determined by the rules in the game’s pay table. To understand how to read a slot’s pay table, you need to know what a Random Number Generator (RNG) is and how it works.

During a spin, the RNG generates a sequence of numbers at random. When the reels stop spinning, they display a group of symbols. The probability that a particular symbol will appear on the payline is the product of its frequency on the reel and the number of times it has appeared. With microprocessors, manufacturers can also assign a weight to symbols to make them more or less likely to appear.

A player can choose how much to wager, how many pay lines to activate, and if bonus features are available. Some games even offer different jackpot amounts. To avoid missing out on potential winnings, it’s important to learn how to read the pay table. It lists the symbols, their odds of appearing on a payline, and how much you can win for a combination of three, four, or five matching symbols. It can also include information on the RTP rate, betting requirements, and more.