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


by Doc's Sports - 8/8/2017

PGA golfer Rickie Fowler

The first full week of the 2017 NFL Preseason gets underway this week, and Doc's Sports is getting ready for another season of football betting with the help of expert handicapper Raphael Esparza . As far as this week's discussion with Raphael, we will cover everything from betting tips for NFL's exhibition season to some hot betting teams expected to compete in this year's Little League World Series.

The former Vegas Sports Informer honed his craft as one of the top sports handicappers in the nation during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. At the peak of this career he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. He has been retired from that role since 2013, but he continues to run a successful and diverse sports investment service from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: We all know that you are not the biggest fan of the NFL's preseason from a betting standpoint, but can you still give us a few important tips to keep in mind if someone does decide to bet on a few of these early games?

RE: I would still stick with betting MLB games this time of the year, but if you are going to bet on the NFL's preseason you should try and find the best value on an 'under' play with the total line. In general, defense should remain ahead of offense in most of these matchups, and that will usually hold true right into the first week of the regular season.

Doc's Sports: Turning to the upcoming college football season, everyone knows that teams such as Alabama and Ohio State rank high on the list when it comes to the race for the 2017 national title. Do you have any team in mind that you would possibly work into the top four on this list based on the value in its longer odds?

RE: I am not really expecting any major surprises at the top of the list in college football this season. However, I do like Texas as a possible upset special at 20/1 odds to sneak into the College Football Playoff. USC and Oklahoma are the Longhorns' biggest obstacles, but the rest of their schedule is rather manageable.

Doc's Sports: The final major of the year in professional golf is set to start this Thursday with the opening round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte. NC. Heading into last month's Open Championship, you were really high on Matt Kuchar for a few head-to-head bets, and he almost went on to win that event. Do you have any golfers in mind this week from a head-to-head betting standpoint?

RE: When it comes to head-to-head matches among some of the top favorites to win this final major, I will be looking for plus money on Hideki Matsuyama. I also will look to use Ricky Fowler and Sergio Garcia when the betting numbers make sense given their solid play in a few of the earlier Majors. The one matchup on the board that I really like is Zach Johnson (-130) against Bubba Watson (+110).

Doc's Sports : Towards the end of July you mentioned that you were already scouting a few teams for this year's Little League World Series, which is set to get underway on Aug. 17 from Williamsport, PA. If you had to put one at the top of this list from the United States as well as from the international division, which two would they be?

RE: As far as going with one team from the U.S. it would probably come down to a toss-up between the one from New Jersey and the one from Southern California. Both of these squads have better pitching than usual this time around along with the ability to put runs on the board with their bats. Although Venezuela did catch my eye, I would have to go with Japan as my top international team given just how fundamentally sound this ball club always is. Add in the fact that they are also deep in pitching this year and it is easy to see why Japan is the team to beat in this entire tournament.

Doc's Sports: We try to cover a wide spectrum of top trending betting topics in our weekly discussions, but can you please tell us what we missed this time around as far as something that is on your current betting radar?

RE : Both boxing and MMA fighting are quiet this weekend, so I will be turning most of my attention to Friday's opening match in soccer's English Premier League followed by a full round of betting action on Saturday.

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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