For well over 40 years, Doc’s Sports Service has earned the reputation for being the premier selection company in the sports betting industry. We have been able to stay on top for so long through the use of a Unit Betting System that provides our loyal customers with proven winners for all the major sports. The other reason for our continued success has been the commitment to surrounding ourselves with some of the best handicappers in the business. For the past five years one of our top performers has been the Vegas Sports Informer. His success revolves around some uncanny handicapping skills in breaking down matchups combined 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 incorporates this insider’s edge into all of his selections, and the results speak for themselves with a consistent winning record for a number of different sports.

Doc’s Sports decided to tap into this insider’s edge through a series of weekly interviews with The Informer that give our readers a first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what is really going in the Las Vegas books. These discussions have been invaluable in providing insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. The following is this week’s interview.

Doc’s Sports: All eight favorites went chalk this past weekend in Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. With them also posting a 6-1-1 record against the spread, how bad a beating did the Las Vegas sportsbooks take on the games?

VSI: Things could have been a lot worse with the favorites putting up those kind of numbers, but there was quite a bit of money bet on both Chicago and Memphis to help balance things out. Overall, the majority of the books were down, but it was not a complete bloodbath as one might expect.

Doc’s Sports: Chicago ended the favorites’ winning streak by upsetting Brooklyn on Monday night, so do any of these first round playoff series have a chance of going the distance?

VSI: If the Bulls continue to play like they did in Game 2 they could easily take Brooklyn to a full seven games. Despite the 0-2 start, I still like Memphis to make a series of its matchup against the Clippers by taking the next two games at home. The series I thought would definitely go the distance was Golden State against Denver, but the loss of David Lee dealt a devastating blow to the Warriors’ chances.

Doc’s Sports: As a big boxing fan, you have to be excited about the upcoming fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Robert Guerrero on May 4. What are the current odds for this fight, and where has most of the early money been going?

VSI: Most of the books in Las Vegas have Mayweather as a -800 favorite, and Guerrero  listed as a +500 underdog. Just because the numbers are so lopsided, the early money appears to be headed towards Guerrero, so things should start to tighten up on both ends of this line as we get closer to the opening bell.

Doc’s Sports: Turning to Major League Baseball, Colorado and Atlanta have been the big winners so far both on the field and on the money line. Should bettors continue to ride these two in the short term or are there a few other teams ready to make a move up the ranks?

VSI: This could actually be a good time to start going against the Rockies as it is doubtful that their pitching will continue to hold up like it has. The Braves should be solid all season long, but not at their earlier pace either. A team worth taking a hard look at is the Kansas City Royals as a result of playing in a very weak division. Also, keep an eye on the Los Angeles Angels especially when Jered Weaver returns to the starting rotation as their bats are finally showing some signs of life.

Doc’s Sports: The 2013 NFL Draft kicks off this Thursday night with the first of seven rounds. Who do you see Kansas City taking with the first overall pick, and where does West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith end up going?

VSI: The Chiefs need help on the offensive line, and while there are a couple of solid tackles to choose from, the smartest and safest pick has to be Luke Joeckel out of Texas A&M. As far as Smith, his stock appears to falling with Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib taking his place at No.8 to Buffalo as the first quarterback selected in the opening round. My prediction is that no quarterback comes off the board earlier than the bottom third of the first round.

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.