When it comes to using a sports selection service, Doc’s Sports Service continues to remain at the top of the list with well over 40 years experience in the industry. One of the main reasons for such unparalleled success has been the ability to provide a steady stream of winners to our loyal customers on a regular basis. This comes from working with some of the best handicappers in the business. One of our top performers over the past four years has been the Vegas Sports Informer. He has built a winning track record in a number of sports by combining the ability to successfully break down matchups with over 15 years experience working behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. When you work the heart of the sports gambling capital of the world as long as The Informer has, you create an insider’s edge that is tough to beat.

Doc’s Sports jumped at the chance to sit down with The Informer on a weekly basis in order to get a first-hand, behind-the-scenes update on what is really going in the Las Vegas books as well as get his expert opinion on each week’s hottest trending sports gaming topics. The following is this week’s discussion.

Doc’s Sports: It was a mixed bag last week in the NFL’s Divisional Playoffs, so what kind weekend did the Las Vegas books have in light of the results?

VSI: All I can say is thanks for the Ravens! Their upset of Denver not only brought in a ton of cash for the books on the game itself, it also broke up a number of parlays with New England. While San Francisco’s win over Green Bay proved to be costly, that loss was easily covered with Atlanta’s miracle win. A good deal of the action in that game was on the money line favoring Seattle.

Doc’s Sports: Last week in men’s college basketball, the final three teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with Duke, Michigan and Arizona all losing. The AP and Coaches’ Poll reshuffled their Top-5 deck, but we are interested in what your new one looks like?

VSI: I would have to agree that Louisville should be at the top of the list, especially after the way it man-handled a very good Connecticut team this past Monday night. I am still not convinced the Cardinals will stay in that spot, but right now they are my top team in the nation. Next, I would have to go with Indiana and then Duke. Both suffered losses in tough places to win a game, and both are still the cream of the crop in this year’s field of title contenders. After those three I would round things out with Michigan and Kansas. The Big Ten remains my top conference of the year, and do not be surprised if four or even five teams make their way into the Top 10 by the end of the season.

Doc’s Sports: With the NBA season rapidly approaching its mid-way point, which teams have been your top moneymakers so far.

VSI: I actually anticipated a slow start for the Lakers, especially when Steve Nash went down early in the year, so going against the Lakers has been my most profitable play. Just a word of caution, I do not expect this to continue over the second half of the season. A few other gold mines have been Indiana at home and Oklahoma City as a small favorite on the road. A team that has caught my eye lately is the Charlotte Bobcats. They are still losing the majority of their games, but they have come through big on a couple of my high-unit plays.

Doc’s Sports: The long-awaited NHL regular season gets underway this Saturday with the first of 48 conference games on the shortened schedule. Which would be your top team from the East and from the West to wager on right out of the gate?

VSI: In the Eastern Conference I like Pittsburgh to get off to a fast start. With Sidney Crosby completely healthy for the first time in two years, this team is going to be a scoring machine in the early going. I am going with the Los Angeles Kings in the West as long as they can come out playing in the same form they finished with last season. A couple of other teams to throw in to the mix are the Rangers in the East and Nashville and San Jose in the West.

Doc’s Sports: The football season is down to its final three games of the season, so what are some of the other sports you will be handicapping along with basketball?

VSI: I am really excited about the return of the NHL. I started concentrating more and more of my energy on the sport over the past few seasons. And with a shortened schedule that only features conference matchups, there is going to quite a few opportunities to cash in each and every night. I will also start handicapping the knock-out rounds of Champions League soccer, which gets underway right after the Super Bowl. While boxing and the UFC do not attract all that much action from the betting public in general, when the fights are fought in Las Vegas they quickly become main betting events up and down The Strip.  

To keep up on all the inside information from Las Vegas be sure to follow VSI on Twitter @vsidocsports. Also, if you have any questions for The Informer that you would like us to cover in future articles please email them to askvsi@docsports.com and we will do our best to add them into the mix.