Doc’s Sports Service enters another New Year as one of the leaders in the sports selection industry. For the past 42 years, we have been releasing a steady stream of winning picks for all the major sports to a group of the most loyal customers in the world. We just wrapped up an incredible season of college football and look forward to continued success in the NFL Playoffs as well as the NBA and college basketball in the coming New Year.

One of the biggest reasons for our ongoing success is a strong relationship with some of the best handicappers in the business. Raphael Esparza fits this bill perfectly as part of the team for the past seven years. He was formally known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and illustrious career working behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas, including the position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. Raphael retired from the sportsbook industry this past summer, but he remains hard at work sourcing inside information from vast network of contacts in Las Vegas. This ‘inside edge’ has served him well in the past, and it continues to be a vital part of any pick he releases today. This has in-turn led to a winning record for one of the widest arrays of sporting events in the handicapping field. If you can bet on it, Raphael most likely can provide the right pick!

Doc’s Sports continues to tap into this ‘inside edge’ through a series of weekly discussions with Raphael that are specifically designed to uncover valuable insight into the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. He has proven time and time again that working and living in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world is what keeps him at the top of his game.

Doc’s Sports: Wild Card Weekend in the NFL is often filled with unexpected twists and turns, so starting in the AFC, which teams do you like in Saturday’s Chiefs vs. Colts contest and in Sunday’s tilt between the Chargers and the Bengals?

RE: I am staying away from the Chiefs and Colts game as both of these teams have been hard to handicap over the second half of the season. If I had to pick, I would go with Indianapolis at home. Taking the Bengals to cover at home is a no-brainer to me as this may be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

Doc’s Sports: Turning to the NFC Wild Card Round games, can New Orleans find a way to win on the road, and, with Aaron Rodgers back in the fold, will Green Bay avenge last year’s loss to San Francisco in the playoffs?

RE: The Saints have been just awful on the road, and they are catching Philly at the wrong time. There is no doubt that the Eagles will be able to move the ball through the air and on the ground, but the deciding factor could be an underrated defense that is making plays all over the field. As far as the Packers, I have no confidence in their defense, so it really does not matter how well Rodgers plays.  

Doc’s Sports: The college football season wraps things up with Monday night’s showdown between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Auburn in this year’s BCS title game. The line for this game has pretty much held steady with the Seminoles favored by 8.5 points with most books. Are you taking or giving the points in this matchup?

RE: I still have some serious reservations about taking Florida State in this game given the schedule it has played. If the line jumped to nine tomorrow I would be all over Auburn in a big way. This is a team that has been battle-tested, and even though the Tigers needed a few miracles to get to this title game, they are more than capable of winning it straight up.

Doc’s Sports: The college basketball season kicked off conference play this week, so starting at the top of the list in the majors, which team do you have winning the ACC this year?

RE: Duke is clearly the best team in the ACC, but I do have some concerns that the extremely soft nonconference schedule it just played could come back to haunt the Blue Devils down the road. North Carolina is always a factor, but it has been playing to the level of its competition. Newcomers Syracuse and Pittsburgh have cruised through the first part of the season, but I am not sold on just how good they really are. My top sleeper team to watch in the ACC would be NC State.  

Doc’s Sports: The 2013-14 NHL regular season has reached the halfway point with many of the 30 teams having at least 41 games in the books. One of the most competitive divisions so far has been the Pacific with four teams within eight points of one another. Which is your top team out of the bunch?

RE: While Vancouver is still a solid team and Los Angeles is always a threat when its goalies are healthy, the division will still boil down to a battle between San Jose and Anaheim. These two match up perfectly against one another right across the board, but if I had to pick one, I would have to give the slight edge to the Ducks.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza’s Insider’s Page at Doc’s Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza’s member’s picks absolutely free – no obligation, no sales people – you don’t even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza. Follow him on Twitter @VSIDocsports.