Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 7/3/2018

by Doc's Sports - 7/3/2018

The 4th of July Holiday sets the table for any number of sports betting options this week. From continuing action in the 2018 World Cup, the opening matches at Wimbledon to Wednesday's traditional hot dog eating contest at Coney Island sponsored by Nathan's, there is something unique to pique anyone's interest. This creates the perfect opportunity to gain some betting insight into all of these events plus more in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza.

After cutting his teeth as one of the nation's best sports handicappers during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, the former Vegas Sports Informer capped that career off holding the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. Raphael continues to split his time between his home base in Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans 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: Brazil is still favored to win the 2018 World Cup heading into Friday's highly intriguing match against Belgium. How do you see things playing out in this one?

RE: When your goalie and defense are playing at as high of level as Brazil's, it is hard to see any other team left in this competition derailing its run to the 2018 World Cup title as the clear favorite.

Doc's Sports: Professional tennis kicked off its third Grand Slam event of the season with opening round action from Wimbledon. Can you give us your favorite to win from the men's and women's side of the competition?

RE: I would probably go chalk on the men's side with Rafael Nadal as my favorite to win. Over on the women's side, I am expecting Maria Sharapova to make a deep run all the way to the Wimbledon Finals. I also like the value in Karolina Pliskova at even longer odds to win.

Doc's Sports: LeBron James has taken his talents to the Western Conference to play for the Los Angeles Lakers and defending NBA Champion Golden State just added DeMarcus Cousins to its All-Star lineup. Do these early moves drain all of the value out of any team's chances to win a NBA title from the Eastern Conference next season?

RE: James moving the West creates a clear path to the NBA Finals for a team such as Boston, which does add some value to the Celtics' odds to win it all. Philadelphia would be my No. 2 team in the East, but youth is still an issue. The Lakers will need some time to develop into a championship caliber team, and health concerns still exist with Cousins at Golden State.

Doc's Sports: We already know that you are geared up for Wednesday's hot dog eating contest featuring the legendary Joey Chestnut as the most famous competitive eater in the world. What would be your top prop bet play for this year's competition?

RE: I would lean towards the under 70.5 total hot dogs eaten as a solid play at favorable odds. My top bet for this year's contest would be the under on 46 hot dogs eaten by the five-minute mark. The odds are set at -180 for that play, but I just do not see the pace being that fast.

Doc's Sports: Sporting novelties such as the Big 3 for basketball and the AFFL for flag football are fun for fans looking for diversion. Are you ever tempted to wager on these events provided you can find betting lines for the games?

RE: I have tried to watch Big 3 games in the past with the idea of adding it to the handicapping mix, but the level of play was just too bad. I think you might be able to find some betting odds for the AFFL games, but I have not pursued that either. I do have a passing interest in Esports as an alternative betting option.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 8:00 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza

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