Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 6/9/2015

by Doc's Sports - 6/9/2015

The NBA and NHL championship series continue to press on, and both of these showdowns could easily go the distance. This gives bettors one final opportunity to cash in on Doc's Sports' Advisory Board selection packages for each of these sports. For the past 44 years we have grown to become a leader in the sports selection industry behind a team of expert handicappers that include some of the best of the best in their field.

Raphael Esparza has been one of our top experts for the past eight years. Originally known as the Vegas Sports Informer, he rose through the ranks in this business during a long and successful career working for some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. He made his way to the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until he decided to retire from the sports betting industry in 2013.

Over the years, Raphael has relied heavily on a vast network of Las Vegas "insiders" that include some of the town's biggest and most influential personalities in the sports betting game. These professionals know this industry inside and out, and he has done an excellent job of incorporating this "insider's edge" into building his sports investment business into one of the best in town.

Savvy bettors who truly understand the value of this handicapping edge have been able to make a small fortune behind Raphael's winning record for a number of major sports. He has also expanded these betting opportunities to include the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe. One week it might be pro wrestling and the next it could be prop bet picks in the world of entertainment.

Doc's Sports and Raphael set up an ongoing weekly Q&A to give readers a deeper look into the Las Vegas betting scene as well as cover some of the hottest trending sports betting topics of the day. When looking for the ultimate sports betting source, we have found that there is no one better than a true "insider" in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world. The following is this week's conversation.

Doc's Sports: This season's NBA Finals are tied at a game apiece heading into tonight's Game 3 in Cleveland. Last week we talked about which team's superstar would have the better series, and so far on paper the Cavaliers' LeBron James has gotten the best of it against Golden State's Stephen Curry. Given the overall injury situation with his team, does King James have what it takes to lead Cleveland all the way a NBA title?

RE: It is hard to say how far James can take this team given its depleted lineup and ineffective bench. If I had to make an educated guess I would say that the Cavaliers could win one or two more games at best, but not enough to win it all.

Doc's Sports: The betting odds on the total line in this series continue to drop with each passing game. Most Las Vegas sportsbooks have the total line for Game 3 set right around 194, so are you going with the "over" in tonight's game or is this line still high enough for a play on the "under"?

RE: The answer to this question all hinges on which team you have winning Game 4. Cleveland is going to have to continue to play tight defense to disrupt Golden State's shooting like it did on Sunday night. If that is the case then the total should stay under. If you believe that Curry is going to have a much better night shooting the ball as the Warriors improve their overall shot selection then you would probably want to go with the over.

Doc's Sports : The Tampa Bay Lightning stunned bettors with a 3-2 win in Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals as solid underdogs on the road to take the 2-1 series lead. Chicago has been opened as a -155 favorite at home for Wednesday night's Game 4, so are you willing to roll the dice again on a Tampa Bay upset?

RE: The books are keeping the moneyline on the Blackhawks as low as possible to help bring in the early money on the home team, but if this number continues to rise as we get closer to game time, I would have to consider a play on the Lightning to capitalize their value.

Doc's Sports: Most sports bettors may not realize that the major stakes horse racing season does not end with the Triple Crown racing series. Now that we have our first Triple Crown winner in 37 years with American Pharoah's impressive victory in this past Saturday's Belmont Stakes, do think there will be a renewed interest in horse racing from the general betting public?

RE: Horse racing in general might see a bit of a bump at the betting window in the short term, but there should be some huge interest in this summer's Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park and this fall's Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland if American Pharoah runs in those races as expected.

Doc's Sports : The Women's 2015 World Cup of soccer got underway recently, and the US team is off to a strong start with a 3-1 victory against Australia in its opening match in Group D. Do you think this team has what it takes to win its first World Cup title since 1999?

RE: Getting that first victory was huge in light of how strong Group D is in this tournament with matches against Sweden and even Nigeria still to come. The US Women are more than capable of winning it all. However, keep in mind that teams such as Japan as the defending champion as well as France and Brazil might still be in their way in the medal round, so it will not be an easy road to end this drought.

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 .

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