Vicksburg dart thrower headed to Las Vegas for national tourney.

Through years of practice, Johnny Upton has honed his craft.

Peering through the smoky haze of a darkened bar, he toes the line and takes careful aim at the target.

Thwip!.

A triple 20.

Thwip!.

A bullseye.

Thwip!.

A double 20, and another beaten opponent.

It’s as easy as that for the 57-year-old Vicksburg resident, who is about to enter rare air in the darting world. This weekend, he will compete in the American Dart Organization’s national finals in Las Vegas.

&#8220I’m so thrilled, I don’t know what to do,” said Upton, manager of P.J.’s, a lounge in Delta, La. &#8220And I’m getting at the age now where my eyes are going. It’ll probably be my last shot.”

Upton will compete in a dart game known as cricket, in which players must hit a series of targets on the board – Nos. 15-20 – before their opponents do the same. After hitting each of the required numbers three times, a player must then also hit three bull’s-eyes. He qualified for the national finals by winning a regional tournament in Hammond, La., in November.

&#8220I’ve played in it about 10 different times, and this is the first time I’ve actually won the thing,” he said.

Upton started playing darts a little over a decade ago, when he was &#8220just throwing in pubs and bars” for fun, he said. At first, his skills left plenty of room for imrpovement.

&#8220I was just throwing at the bull’s-eye. I threw overhand, like a baseball,” he said with a laugh. &#8220You can do OK throwing like that, but it’s not really right.”

That idea of slinging a dart, rather than aiming, can separate a novice darter from a truly great one. Contrary to the popular misconception of just winging darts at the board in a darkened bar, there is plenty of skill involved. And at the bigger tournaments, there’s even a dress code.

The further you get into a dart game, the more mental skill is involved. Players must figure out number combinations to hit to finish games, then actually put the dart into a half-inch by one-inch target.

In Upton’s game, cricket, players must hit specific targets before their opponent does.

&#8220It really is a mental game. You’re playing against yourself, but you have to score points to keep somebody from closing you out,” Upton said. &#8220You just try to stay ahead of them. It’s a back-and-forth game.”

Eventually, Upton figured out the intricacies of the game and started to improve. He competed in local leagues and tournaments, and even won the 2005 Moose Lodge state championship.

Then came his breakthrough at the regionals, and the trip to Vegas to compete against 50 of the country’s best darters. Upton said he tends to play better against good competition, but knows he’s rarely faced what he’ll be up against this weekend.

&#8220There’s a few of them that have been there a few times. It’s going to be tough competition,” Upton said. &#8220The ones out there are the best in the United States. That’s what I’ll be facing.”

Despite the daunting task in front of him, Upton added that he won’t be intimidated by the competition.

&#8220Not when it gets down to it,” he said. &#8220I just try to put everything out of my head and concentrate on every dart.”