MOM somehow gave me the idea true signalling was considered cheating in 42, so I never bothered to try, but those are pretty much the signals I am used to from bridge. Guess I should have asked DAD more questions when I had the chance.

If you prefer that kind of thing to luck, you should seriously try bridge, where EVERY bid means something (in addition to naming the contract) and bidding (and thus communication) continues until everyone passes. In fact, it is VERY important to undertand bids the same way as ones partner (because different partnerships can and do use the same bid differently) to avoid going down many tricks in doubled contracts. One really nice aspect of bridge is the "duplicate" option, played more against partnerships at OTHER tables than against nominal opponents at ones own table, seeking the best score from the same hands. That virtually eliminates luck, making the game entirely about skill and experience.

Hearts and spades are fun, but given the choice I will always prefer bridge. A rudimentary grasp of probability and paying attention make proper card PLAY practically automatic in most games, but proper BIDDING is often more challenging in bridge. Ideally, every hand would have a fixed bid that perfectly described it; in reality, they can be hard to pigeonhole. Occasionally, multiple bids are valid for the same hand, in which case the "right" bid is the one that best describes the hand for partner.