Welcome to The Canasta Connection! We are Massachusetts based mother-daughter duo Emily and Bev and we would love to teach you Canasta and American Mah Jongg. We created a highly visual curriculum where we play, play, play! We use a step-by-step approach to help you increase your confidence and master the game! We are known for our handouts and cheat sheets that break down the game. We want to make every lesson a fun, accessible, and high quality experience.

(NEW) Shop Our Canasta Materials

Designed by professional k-12 special education teachers to break down the rules and scoring of modern American canasta to make it accessible. We have been iterating on these for years based on feedback from hundreds of students.

Canasta Cheat Sheet Canasta Cheat Sheet
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Canasta Cheat Sheet
$10.00
The Canasta Connection Scorepad The Canasta Connection Scorepad
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The Canasta Connection Scorepad
$25.00

Upcoming Classes-Fall 2025

  • Beginner Canasta-Needham

    Needham, Ma (Needham Community Ed)

    Sept. 16-Oct 21 (No Class Sept. 23)

    6-8:30pm (first class is 6-8pm)

    Registration begins August 14th

    Sign Up Here

  • Beginner Canasta-Newton

    JCC of Greater Boston

    Thursdays October 9 - Nov 6

    10:00am-12:00pm

    CLASS FULL join waitlist

    *Message us if you wanted to take this but got closed out.

    Sign Up Here

  • Beyond Beginner Canasta-Needham

    Needham Community Education

    Tuesdays, Nov 18 - Dec 16

    6-8pm (No Class Nov 25)

    Registration Begins August 14th

    Sign Up Here

  • Beyond Beginner Canasta-Newton

    JCC of Greater Boston

    October 9 - November 6, 2025

    12:45pm-2:45pm

    Class FULL, join waitlist

    Message us if you want to take beyond beginners. We are working on adding additional classes.

    Sign Up Here

  • Private Group Lessons

    Email thecanastaconnection@gmail.com to inquire about private group classes in person and virtually. Must be based in the Greater Boston Area or on lower/mid Cape Cod for in person classes at this time.

Upcoming Open Play + Events

  • Private lessons, events, and parties

    We host canasta and mahjong private lessons, social play events, corporate team building, birthday parties, and fundraisers. Reach out to us to inquire.

    Contact Us

  • Fall 2025 Classes

    We will be teaching Canasta at:

    JCC of Greater Boston

    Needham Community Education

    Private Groups at your home or venue of choice

    Additional Offerings TBD

    We will be teaching Mahjong at:

    Private Groups at your home or venue of choice

    Contact Us

Find local canasta games in Massachusetts

Join Our Facebook Group:

The Canasta Connection

Find local games and connect with other canasta players in the Greater Boston Area and on Cape Cod.

Testimonials

  • These two, the mother and daughter dream team, are hands down the most incredible teachers out there. Not only are they seasoned pros, but their classes are an absolute blast!

    Karen R.

  • Emily, thank you so much for teaching us Mahjong! I loved each lesson. You were so clear explaining the game and built each week on the prior week’s teaching! You made it fun and not stressful and allowed us to ask so many questions. Your printed instructions are a huge help now as we continue to play.

    Kathy D.

  • My husband and I are enthusiastic and committed to mastering this game, and your patience in helping us understand strategy, rules, etc were only eclipsed by your obvious love of the game, terrific teaching skills, and sweet demeanor."

    ~P.W.S

  • Having Bev teach Canasta on Cape Cod has been a gift. She taught a group of us to play Canasta. We enjoy playing so much that we committed to a weekly group. It is the lessons and the connections with friends that makes the experience so special. I recommend expanding your life with The Canasta Connection. Thank you Bev!

    -Elaine