Meet Gaia, Your Tampa Bay Mahjong Instructor
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
I’ve taught over 3,000 students how to play American mahjong - and I still remember exactly what it felt like to be a nervous beginner.
My superpower?
Helping new players feel calm, capable, and excited - even if they’ve never touched a Mahjong tile before.
3,000+ women taught ✦ 200+ classes this year ✦ 12+ partner venues ✦ 5-star reviews
AS FEATURED ON FOX 13 | ST PETE LIFE MAGAZINE
Credentials
Trained, certified and still learning.
The fine print behind the friendly teacher.
My story
The method behind Mahjong Made Simple.
I discovered mahjong in 2019 and quickly realized most beginners were being taught all wrong - overwhelmed with rules before they'd played a single game. My own first lesson was a disaster. I left confused and discouraged.
So I built something different. The Mahjong Made Simple method gives beginners only what they need to sit down and play - nothing more, nothing less. After one lesson, every student leaves as a mahjong player.
The strategy comes later. First, I make sure you feel capable.
"My job isn't just to teach the game. It's to make sure every woman feels at ease, accepted and supported from the moment she sits at the table."
- Gaia Banovich
Meet the team
Three instructors. One shared belief.
Mahjong should feel welcoming from day one.
Founder and lead instructor
Gaia Banovich
Originally from Slovenia, Gaia spent years in New York's fine art world before discovering mahjong in Tampa Bay. Since 2023, she's taught 3,000+ students with her Mahjong Made Simple method - built on patience, clarity and the belief that anyone can learn.
Instructor
Lisa Matamoros
A registered nurse with 40+ years in education, Lisa brings the same structured, patient teaching she used training emergency physicians to every mahjong table. Clear, calm and deeply encouraging.
Instructor
Ann Shine
Ann grew up hearing the tiles at her mom's Monday night games and learned to play with her mom and sisters 40 years ago. Since then she's taught most of her girlfriends, and next year she's hosting a small tournament in her mom's honor.
Where I teach
12+ venues and counting.
Boutiques, restaurants, studios and clubs around Tampa Bay that host my classes and open play.
Program Consultant
I don't just teach at these venues. I help build the programs: what to offer first, how to fill the tables and how to keep players coming back every week. Before mahjong, I spent my career in business development and marketing at Abercrombie & Kent and Christie's, so I think about a program the way a venue does.
From the table
What students say.
From Google reviews, in their own words. Read all 90+ five-star reviews.
★★★★★
She was patient, kind, and broke things down in a way that made it simple to learn.
- Jackie
★★★★★
Gaia makes it easy to understand and you will walk away from the first lesson with the basic skills you need to play a game.
- Kimberly
★★★★★
If you want to learn Mahjong in a way that actually makes sense, you have to take a class with Gaia.
- Wendy
Come learn with me
Ready to find your seat at the table?
Private lessons, group classes and Zoom, across Tampa Bay and beyond.
Not in Tampa Bay? Learn on Zoom.