A Maryland blackjack player took the $15,000 top prize in the Club Royale 2007 Masters Blackjack Tournament aboard Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Liberty of the Seas, becoming the first woman to win what in past years has been a male dominated event.

Lauren B., a regular participant in the annual Royal Caribbean invitational blackjack tournaments, totally dominated the 2007 tournament, finishing first among the 13 invited participants in the qualifying rounds, enabling her to pick what turned out to be the lucky third seat at the table for the finals.

In the final round, she jumped out to an early lead, and while three male competitors still had a shot at the top prize right up until the very last hand, Lauren held on to win the highest grand prize ever awarded in a Royal Caribbean invitational event.

A Canadian, Robert D. of Ontario, also a veteran of these tournaments, took second prize of $6,000. Milton B., a Floridian who won Royal Caribbean's Spring 2006 invitational tournament, sailed home with the $3,000 third place money. The finalists finishing fourth through seventh divided the remainder of a tournament prize pool that totaled $31,750..

Among the crowd clustered around the blackjack table to watch the final round showdown was the master of Liberty of the Seas, Captain Kjetil Gjerstad, who was on hand to present the trophies to the winners.

All 13 members of Royal Caribbean's Club Royale VIP players club cruised this week as the line's expense-paid guests.

With three sea days on the week-long Eastern Caribbean cruise, tournament participants had plenty of time on this voyage for the blackjack tables.

In addition to being hosted at several private luncheons and receptions, the Club Royale's VIP players and their guests also had an opportunity to take part in a variety of activities at Liberty of the Seas' port calls in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Maarten; and Labadee, Haiti.

With two Masters Blackjack tournaments scheduled for 2008, there is plenty of time for VIP players to qualify through their play in Casino Royale casinos on Royal Caribbean ships..