Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 11/10/2015

by Doc's Sports - 11/10/2015

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

A new season of college hoops gets underway this Friday night, and one of the top experts in the country when it comes to picking college basketball winners is Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza. In this week's one-on-one discussion with the former Vegas Sports Informer we will get his thoughts on betting the early-season games.

Raphael honed his craft as a top sports handicapper during a long and prosperous career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, including a prestigious stint as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. Since then, he has remained busy running a successful sports investment service from Las Vegas as well as the Big Easy in New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most diversified handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Early reports out of Las Vegas as far as Week 9 of the NFL season all point towards another big week for the sportsbooks. How big was the take and which games put the books over the top for yet another week?

RE: The two biggest winners for the books were Tennessee's upset against New Orleans and San Francisco beating Atlanta. These two games also wiped out a ton of parlays and teasers. Green Bay losing to Carolina was another big money maker for the books. The two games they lost the most money on were covers by New England and Philadelphia, but overall it was another pretty big week for Las Vegas against the betting public.

Doc's Sports: There are now just three undefeated teams in the NFL at 8-0, led by New England. The New York Giants have been a thorn in the side of the undefeated Patriots for the past several years. Does New York have any chance to end their current run this Sunday as seven-point home underdogs with most of the books in town?

RE: If there is a team out that that has the ability to get into New England's head it would have to be the Giants. That being said, I would probably still go with the Patriots minus the seven points. This team is on a mission this season against the entire NFL, and that might not end until possibly the playoffs or the Super Bowl.

Doc's Sports : There is an interesting college football showdown on tap this Saturday in the Big 12 between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 4 Baylor. Can the Bears keep things rolling with a freshman quarterback at the helm?

RE: After watching Oklahoma's defense play this season and especially since the loss to Texas, I think the Sooners have the upper hand in this week's matchup against the Bears. This game is going to be more about which defense makes the most stops, and I would have to give the edge to Oklahoma.

Doc's Sports : There is a big Las Vegas fight on tap for Nov. 21 in the middleweight division between Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez. Alvarez has been listed as a sizable favorite to win according to most of the books, but is there any value going against him in this fight?

RE: My top tip would be to bet the higher moneyline on Cotto now since it is likely to go down as we get closer to this fight. Conversely, I would wait on betting Alvarez for the exact same reason. Overall, I still think Alvarez does win this one by a decision, which could set up a huge showdown against Triple G Gennady Golovkin.

Doc's Sports: A new season of college hoops kicks things off this Friday. Can you give us some insight into your betting strategy for these early games?

RE: With any new college basketball season, I prefer to focus my handicapping efforts on key players as opposed to certain teams, especially when it comes to returning sophomores that opted to hold off going to the NBA as well as the brand new crop of freshmen phenoms. I might look for some opportunities on the total line, but I usually hold off on betting spreads until teams have a few games under their belt.

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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