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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza


by Doc's Sports - 9/12/2017

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

A new season of betting on the NFL is underway, and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get an insider's update on the betting results for Week 1. We will also get his feedback on how the Los Angeles Dodgers' current slump along with the Cleveland Indians' current winning streak is impacting the betting odds for this year's MLB World Series futures.

Once known in certain betting circles as the Vegas Sports Informer, Raphael became one of the top sports handicappers in the nation during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. At the height of his career, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the sportsbook industry back in 2013. Since then he has been splitting his time between Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a very 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: We know that the books in town cleaned up on Kansas City's huge upset against New England last Thursday night in the first NFL game of the year, but did those gains hold up through Monday night's final two contests in Week 1 of the 2017 regular season?

RE: The books cleaned up in a number of ways with New England's loss, including quite a bit of money bet on various parlays. They gave some back when Pittsburgh failed to cover against Cleveland and on the 'under' in Sunday night's New York at Dallas game, but overall it was a strong start as compared to the beating they took at the end of last season.

Doc's Sports: You would expect the betting public to be all over the Patriots this week to bounce back in a big way as road favorites this Sunday against New Orleans. With the opening line set at 6.5 points, are you going with or against New England in this matchup?

RE: I would definitely not bet against the Patriots this week. You know that Belichick is going to have his team ready to go come Sunday, and Tom Brady does not play two bad games in a row. The main reason that I would bet on New England is based more on what I saw from New Orleans' struggles on defense against Minnesota on Monday night. The fact that the Saints are playing on a short week does not help their cause.

Doc's Sports: Ohio State's stunning loss to Oklahoma last week in the college ranks shook up the national rankings at the top of the list. In your opinion, which is the next national power to go down in defeat to put a serious crimp in its College Football Playoff hopes?

RE: I would actually put the Sooners on upset alert right now. I am not saying that they are going to lose to Tulane this week or even Baylor on Sept. 23, but you still have to ask yourself if Oklahoma is as good as advertised or was Ohio State just a tad bit overrated.

Doc's Sports : With the Los Angeles Dodgers losing their last 11 games along with the Cleveland Indians current winning streak reaching 19 games with Monday night's win, how does either of these streaks impact your thoughts on the current betting odds for this season's matchup in the World Series?

RE: I still see the Dodgers as the team to beat in the NL. While nobody tries to lose 11 games in a row, this does bring Los Angeles back to reality. Having to deal with this level of adversity could actually make this team better prepared for the playoffs. Cleveland still has to get past Boston and the strongest starting rotation in the AL, but going into the postseason hot is always better than backing your way in.

Doc's Sports: Being a boxing purist that truly loves the sport, we know that you are really looking forward to this Saturday's fight between Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Do you have any tips to share on how to bet what could be one of the best boxing matches in recent memory?

RE : Betting this fight really hinges on who you have winning among two very evenly-matched boxers. Triple G is a -150 favorite now, so you might want to take a wait-and-see approach to his actual betting odds closer to the fight. Once all the boxing fans start to pouring into town later this week, I see quite a bit of money going towards Alvarez (+130), which could easily drive this fight down to an even-money matchup by Saturday night.

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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