Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 2/9/2016

by Doc's Sports - 2/9/2016

The entertainment awards season continues this Sunday with the 2016 Grammys, and anyone who follows Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza already knows that he is sure to have a few top picks based on the prop bets odds released for this year's show.

Raphael came into prominence as an expert handicapper during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. At one point in this career, the former Vegas Sports Informer held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. Since then, he keeps his ears to the ground for insider tips on both the Las Vegas Strip and the Big Easy in New Orleans while running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: The NFL season finally came to an end with Denver's unexpected upset of Carolina in Super Bowl 50 as an underdog. The total in that game stayed well "under" the closing line. So when all the smoke cleared, how big of a day was it for the Las Vegas sportsbooks?

RE: The sportsbooks came out on top, but quite a bit of late money on Denver cut into the take. So did the prop on Von Miller winning MVP at 12/1 odds. The amazing thing about this Super Bowl was the total amount of money wagered in Nevada. It shattered the old record of $119 million with a reported handle of $132 million.

Doc's Sports: Most avid sports bettors will now turn their attention to college basketball in anticipation of March Madness in a couple of weeks. Do you have any handicapping tips to share when it comes to betting college hoops in the month of February?

RE: This is the time of the season where player rotations and bench depth become huge factors, especially in light of any injuries. Teams that are not that deep can be impacted much more with even one big injury than ones with an eight- or nine-player rotation. Turning to the Mountain West, one team to go with down the stretch would be San Diego State because of its depth, while UNLV could be a good team to go against because of its limited player rotation.

Doc's Sports :The NHL regular season has begun its push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Can you give us a middle-of-the road team in either the East or West that could be primed to make a run up the standings over the next few months?

RE: I actually start looking in the opposite direction this time of the season for teams on the bubble to go against. The one exception could be Colorado, which could make a bit of a run now that its goalie Semyon Varlamov's recent off-ice legal issues have been cleared up.

Doc's Sports : Just as you mentioned last week, it was recently announced that Amir Khan will fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in Las Vegas on May 7 for the Mexican world middleweight title. What are some of your early thoughts for this matchup as far as Khan's chances as an underdog?

RE: This spring offers up a pair of high-profile matchups for anyone who likes to bet on boxing. Gennady Golovkin is confirmed to fight Dominic Wade on April 23 at Madison Square Garden in advance of this fight. Neither Wade at +1600 betting odds or Khan at +350 really stand much of a chance against such powerful punchers, and I highly doubt that either fighter will even be able to go the distance.

Doc's Sports: This Sunday's Grammys are the next big event when it comes to betting entertainment props. Can you give us one or two of your top picks for this year's music award show?

RE : I will usually look to go chalk for these entertainment awards, especially in any category where Taylor Swift has been nominated. I also like Bruno Mars winning Record of the Year for 'Uptown Funk' as a heavy favorite. If I had to pick a mild upset for Sunday night, I would lean towards Sam Hunt over Meghan Trainor for Best New Artist.

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 .

Pick:	CHICAGO BEARS +3
Start:	November 24, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #256 Chicago Bears +3 over Minnesota Vikings (1p.m., Sunday, November 24 FOX) We used the Bears as a free play winner last Sunday and easily covered the spread and should have been an underdog outright winner. Now we will ride them for a second straight week against another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are 8-2 on the season, yet are only around a field goal favorite. I still do not trust Sam Donald to win consistently over the course of a 17 game regular season. Minnesota is not as good as their 8-2 record would indicate and playing outdoors in Chicago on Sunday will cause issues for them on both sides of the ball. Chicago has been hit or miss this season, but they will be up to play another divisional rival and we expect them to take this down to the wire as well. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend Card featuring top plays in college and NFL football. Read More Read Less

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