For more than four decades, Doc’s Sports Service has established itself as the premier selection company in the sports betting industry through the ability to provide our loyal customers with winning picks for all the major sporting events. By utilizing a time-tested Unit Betting System as well as developing ongoing relationships with some of the best handicappers in the sports gaming business, we have been able to achieve this unparalleled success. The Vegas Sports Informer has been one of our top performers for close to five years now through his ability to combine top-notch handicapping skills in breaking down matchups with the competitive edge that comes from spending the last 15 years behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. The Informer has made an art of incorporating this insider’s edge into all of his selections, and the overall results speak for themselves with a winning track record year after year.

Doc’s Sports decided to tap into this insider’s edge through an ongoing series of discussions with The Informer. Our goal is to give our readers a first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what is really going in the Las Vegas books as well as uncover valuable insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. The following is this week’s interview.

Doc’s Sports: It was a busy weekend in Las Vegas with the NBA and NHL playoffs, a major prize fight in town and the biggest horse race of the year. How did the books fare in light of all this action?

VSI: It was also one of the best weekends for the books in recent memory. We cleaned up on the fight with Mayweather winning as a -600 favorite in a 12-round decision being the best possible outcome we could have hoped for. The wet track at Churchill Downs steered quite a bit of money away from the favorite, and the overall money bet on this year’s Kentucky Derby in Las Vegas was up nine percent from last year. Finally, there was a ton of money bet on Brooklyn and New York in the NBA playoffs to cap off a couple of really profitable days.

Doc’s Sports: Speaking of the NBA, after Monday night’s stunning loss to Chicago in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, do you see Miami losing another game in this series?

VSI: This one was definitely a shocker, but nobody expects the Bulls to keep this series close. Even as a die-hard Chicago fan, I would have to say that I would be surprised if Miami drops another game. This loss does create a much better series price for the Heat after they opened as prohibitive -4000 favorites.

Doc’s Sports: Orb came through to win in this past Saturday’s Kentucky Derby as the 5/1 favorite and is now listed at +250 to win the Triple Crown and -400 to trip up in either the Preakness Stakes or Belmont along the way. Do you think he has what it takes to win a Triple Crown?

VSI: Anytime the favorite wins the Derby it will cause some chatter about winning the Triple Crown, but Orb is not built for the rigors of winning the next two races. He should open as the favorite to win the Preakness and could easily pull off the win, but like so many other horses before him, the added distance of the Belmont will take its toll and ultimately be his undoing.

Doc’s Sports: Both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling a bit in their opening-round playoff series while San Jose has opened up a 3-0 lead on Vancouver as the No. 6 seed in the West. Can the Sharks pull off another run like the Kings did last season?

VSI: There is no doubt that the Sharks are playing great on both ends of the ice right now, but this team has always been streaky in nature, so I am not ready to climb on their bandwagon just yet. If San Jose continues to build steam through the Western Conference Semifinal Round, then we might want to revisit the situation.

Doc’s Sports: The Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers were two of the top favorites to win the National League before the new MLB season started, but after Monday night’s games they were a combined 30-33 on the year. Is this just a slow start, or are both these teams in trouble for the long haul?

VSI: Stephen Strasburg has had his struggles in the early going, but I still see the Nationals as the team to beat in the NL East. The Dodgers are a whole other story as I am beginning to feel that the city of Los Angeles is in a major slump when it comes to professional sports. The simple fact that San Diego is ahead of them in the NL West standings tells me that things could actually get worse before they get better. Baseball is a very long season and anything can happen, but I think the Dodgers’ troubles run deeper than just a slow start.

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.