NO BALL • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of No ball

... real meaning of what had just taken place was revealed to Roy. The men wanted him to gamble, under the guise of a trick. And he was sharp enough to know that once he bet any money, the shell he would pick out would have no ball under it. In fact, had he taken the bait and bet, Mr. Baker, by a sleight-of-hand trick, would not have put the ball under any shell so that, no matter which one Roy selected, he would have been wrong, and would have lost, though they might have let him win once or ...

— The Boy from the Ranch - Or Roy Bradner's City Experiences • Frank V. Webster