Doc’s Sports Service has remained one of the top sports selection service companies in the gaming industry for well over 40 years mainly because of our ability to provide a steady stream of winners to our loyal customers on a week-to-week basis. A big part of this success can be attributed to working with some of the best handicappers in the business. One of the most consistent winners over the past four years has been the Vegas Sports Informer. He has worked his way up to the top of the ranks in the industry by combining a knack for successfully breaking down matchups with over 15 years experience working behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. Working full-time in the heart of the sports gambling capital of the world has created an insider’s edge that enables The Informer to churn out one winner after another in a number of different sports.

As part of an ongoing weekly series, Doc’s Sports has taken the opportunity to sit down with The Informer 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.

Doc’s Sports: The favorites all covered the spread in last weekend’s NFL Wild Card Playoffs and in Monday night’s BCS Championship, so how did the books in Las Vegas fare with all this chalk?

VSI: Normally a five-game sweep like that would be devastating, but the fact that all four NFL games stayed “under” helped ease the pain. The biggest losses came on the Green Bay game, but the money was pretty evenly split on Seattle vs. Washington. We actually made quite a bit of money on Alabama’s romp, especially on the money line. With the exception of the sharps, the betting public jumped all over Notre Dame and the points when it came to the spread.

Doc’s Sports: This weekend in the NFL Divisional Round both New England and Denver are heavy favorites at home. What are your thoughts on these spreads?

VSI: Both are bit high for my tastes, especially with the Patriots and Broncos coming off a bye. I will tend to stay away from games with such lopsided lines. This is still the NFL and still the playoffs, which means anything can happen. The game that most interests me is Atlanta only giving up a few points at home. It obvious that the Falcons will not get the respect they deserve until they start winning games like this, but they set up as a very strong play against a slightly overrated Seattle team on the road.

Doc’s Sports: Last week you identified Illinois has your sleeper team in the Big Ten this season, and it promptly went out and upset Ohio State. What are your thoughts about some teams to watch in the Big East?

VSI: Right now Louisville remains the cream of the crop and should come out on top in the regular season. Syracuse should be right up there as well followed by Cincinnati and Notre Dame. The team that has impressed me the most has been Connecticut under new head coach Kevin Ollie. The Huskies are not even eligible for the postseason, but they could be a team to bet with all season long.

Doc’s Sports: One of the trends in the NBA this season has been the road favorites covering the spread 53.6 percent of the time. What are some of the things that you look for when handicapping a particular matchup?

VSI: I have actually been all over that trend this season, especially when a solid team from the West goes on the road as a favorite against one of the middle-of-the-road teams from the East. Taking the top three or four teams from either conference, the first thing I look for in a matchup with a road favorite is a tight spread of three points or less. Anything more than that carries too much risk for my tastes.

Doc’s Sports: The NHL regular season should finally be getting underway in a week or so. Do you have a few betting tips for the games right out of the gate?

VSI: The first thing that I want to look at is the schedule. With teams being quickly pressed into service, anyone with an extended road trip would be good to go against after their first one or two games on the road. I also want to check a team’s roster to see how many players have been active all season long in the European leagues. These players will have a distinct advantage over the ones that spent the last four months sitting idle during the lockout. Finally, the “over” on the total line should offer a number of opportunities as defense will scramble to catch up to offense in the early going.

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.