What is better in the long run?

I noticed that I just can't really be subtle with some girls. I mean, I don't go TOO sexual with them, but I pretty much make it known that I'm into them. This hasn't worked for me though. And I hate being subtle because I just suck at it. For instance, with one girl in a club I'm part of, I just mess around with her and frequently joke around and am pretty clear that I want her. This hasn't worked though, even though I noticed some possible interest from her around a year ago, which stopped during summer break. At this point, we still joke around but being clear with my intentions hasn't worked. This girl is just an example of the non-subtle approach not working for me, I am not really asking for advice about this specific girl.

All that said, I would love seddit's input on the subtle and non-subtle approach and which route is generally better to take. And also, I would love if anyone could help me improve my subtle game, because I really suck at it.