Doc’s Sports has been at the top of our game in the sports selection industry for over 42 years, and there are no signs of slowing down after a successful start to the New Year. We are primed to release our Super Bowl picks to close out the NFL for the year to go along with our weekly selections for the ongoing NBA, NHL and college basketball seasons.

One of the main reasons for our continued success and longevity in this business is a strong working relationship with some of the top handicappers in their field. For close to eight years Raphael Esparza has been one of the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to picking winners. He was previously 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 no longer works in the sportsbook industry, but he does remain hard at work sourcing information from a vast network of contacts that he has developed over the years. He then uses this information to create an ‘inside edge’ that remains a vital part of his daily handicapping efforts. Raphael offers one of the more extensive arrays of sports selection packages in the industry, so if you are looking to bet on it, he can most likely provide the right pick!

Doc’s Sports has been tapping 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 continues to prove time and time again that working and living in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world has kept him at the top of his game. The following is this week’s discussion.

Doc’s Sports: The NFL playoffs have pretty much gone chalk with the top seed in each conference advancing to Super Bowl XLVIII. Looking at the early betting line for this game that has Denver favored by two points with most of the books in town, where do you see this number headed as the money continues to pour in over the next two weeks?

RE: The early money poured in on Denver, which shifted Seattle from being a projected two-point favorite to a two-point underdog, but things should start to stabilize from here. I see quite a bit of action coming in on the Seahawks on the money line, but even if that is the case, the final spread on the betting line could still climb as high as three points by game time.

Doc’s Sports: The primary matchup in this year’s Super Bowl is the Broncos’ No. 1 offense going up against a Seattle defense that is also ranked No. 1 in the league. The total for this game has been set right around 48, so which direction do you see this line going?

RE: Much has been made about Seattle’s defense and Peyton Manning’s struggles playing in cold weather, so I would expect the downward pressure on this number to continue right through next weekend. Do not be surprised if the total line dips as low as 46 points by the time the kickoff finally rolls around.

Doc’s Sports: The Big 12 Conference currently has six different teams ranked in the AP’s latest Top 25 college basketball poll, but which one do you see going on to win the regular-season title this year?

RE: Right now the Big 12 appears to be the power conference in the country, but these kinds of things tend to go in waves from one week to the next this time of the year as ranked teams continually each take turns beating up on one another.

Through it all, I have been very impressed with the play of Kansas. While much of the hype revolved around Andrew Wiggins before the season started, the Jayhawks have been winning games lately with a complete team effort on both ends of the court.

Doc’s Sports: As the NHL regular season presses on, Pittsburgh has a pretty tight grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The West appears to be a toss-up between Chicago and Anaheim for the No. 1 seed, but if you had to pick one of these teams right now as the best in the conference, which one would it be?

RE: There is no doubt that the Blackhawks and the Ducks are the two best teams in the West, but whichever one ends the regular season with home-ice advantage over the other has the clear inside track to the Stanley Cup Finals out of this conference.

Doc’s Sports: A recent poll on ESPN suggested that Floyd Mayweather’s next fight should be against Marcos Maidana. Do you see this fight coming together in the not-too-distant future, or is there someone else out there that takes his place?

RE: Maidana would be the logical choice given the time frame of an early May fight in Las Vegas, but I would really love to see Mayweather fight Amir Khan as that matchup would probably be the better of the two bouts. I am not sure, but Khan may have a previous commitment that could keep that fight from happening.

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