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


by Docsports.com - 10/30/2018

Drew Brees New Orleans Saints

We are halfway through another football season, and Doc's Sports continues to crank out some high-unit winners with the help of an expert team of handicappers. As one of the top sports selection services in the country for quite some time, we have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Raphael Esparza as one the top sports handicappers in the game today. During a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, he was able to hone those skills on his way to becoming the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria.

He retired from that position in 2013 to focus all of his efforts on running a highly-successful sports investment business from his home base to Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. Along with winning selection packages for all the major sports, the former Vegas Sports Informer offers betting picks for a wide array of options that are a bit more off the beaten path. Each week, Doc's has the opportunity to chat with Raphael about some of the hottest trending topics in world of sports betting and beyond.

Doc's: Last week we talked about the Green Bay Packers' road game against the undefeated Los Angeles Rams as heavy underdogs. The Packers are one of the more heavily-bet teams in Las Vegas, and the Rams are attracting attention as the best team in the NFL. The Rams won straight-up, but Green Bay easily covered. Who made out in this game; the public or the books?

RE: That single game was the reason that most books in Las Vegas suffered their second losing week in a row. The line in that game got driven down from nine to seven points by game time, with just about all the money coming in on Green Bay.

Doc's: We also talked about this weekend's Louisiana parlay with No. 1 Alabama on the road against No. 4 LSU on Saturday night followed by the Ram's road game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Which way are you leaning in each of these monster matchups?

RE: I actually came up with some prop bet odds for these two games that were posted on MyBookie . My top play would be a 1-1 split ATS at +130 with LSU losing by more than 14 points against Alabama and New Orleans winning SU and ATS as one-point favorites against the Rams.

Doc's: You offer multiple selection packages for the NBA as part of your sports investment services. What is your take on the early results of the new season from a betting standpoint?

RE: It is still too early to make any hard and fast assumptions, but my biggest surprise is just how well a few of the top teams in the East have been playing, in particular Toronto and Milwaukee. This may be a tighter race that expected for Boston as the clear favorite to win that conference. The Lakers could be a good team to go with as underdogs with LeBron James helping to keep just about every game they play close, win or lose.

Doc's: Also on the board this week is the ability to cash in on this weekend's Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs. With the field set for the $6 million Classic late Saturday afternoon as the featured event, do you have any tips on how to bet this race?

RE: Normally I would lean towards the favorite in this race with some dominant horses in the field the past few years. Accelerate is a good horse as the favorite to win this year, but he opens to door to any number of options at longer odds. I would put West Coast on that list as the second-favorite and Roaring Lion as a solid play at much longer odds.

Doc's: The 2018 Breeders' Cup is made up of 14 races over the Friday/Saturday card at Churchill with a total of $30 million in prize money up for grabs. Is there another race on the board that has really caught your interest?

RE: I am very interested in the head-to-head matchup between Imperial Hint and Roy H in the Breeders' Cup Sprint as the top two favorites to win. If you are looking for a race to ride the favorite, it would be Enable at even money odds in the BC Turf.

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 do not even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sports Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza.

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