Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 2/26/2019

by Docsports.com - 2/26/2019

The month of March is right around the corner and the right time of the year to contact the sports betting experts at Doc's Sports Service. We have earned the reputation as a recognized leader and trusted name in the sports handicapping industry since 1971 with the help of some of the top expert handicappers in the nation. Raphael Esparza worked his way onto that list during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. This culminated with a prestigious stint as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria until his retirement in 2013.

Once known as the Vegas Sports Informer during his sportsbook days, he has shifted all of his energy to a successful sports investment business. Working from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans, Esparza continues to release high unit plays for every major sport's biggest matchups along with prop bet picks for the next big movie premier or upcoming entertainment awards show. This has created one of the widest arrays of betting options in the sports betting industry. Doc's looks forward to our weekly chat with Raphael to gain insight into some the hottest trending betting topics in the world of sports.

Doc's: The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils have dealt with a past injury to freshman guard Tre Jones and current knee injury to freshman sensation Zion Williamson at forward. Does this give you any cause for concern heading into the all-important month of March?

RE: The clamor over Williamson's injury proved to be much to do about nothing. It could have been much worse, but I do not see it slowing him down come March. I am still more concerned with the Blue Devils' overall depth as a potential stumbling block come March.

Doc's: In light of Duke's injury issues and a costly loss to rival North Carolina, the West Coast Conference's Gonzaga Bulldogs are back on top in both national polls. Do you see the Bulldogs holding that position to garner the No. 1 overall seed for this year's NCAA Tournament?

RE: Gonzaga should get one of four No. 1 seeds unless it gets tripped up somewhere along the way. I still think Duke is in position to land the top seed overall, unless it suffers a bad loss in the last few regular-season games or an early exit in the ACC Tournament.

Doc's: While Nevada got bumped down to No. 12 in the latest AP Top 25 following a stunning loss to San Diego State, another Mid Major continues to climb its way towards the top at No. 8. What is your overall impression of the AAC's Houston Cougars at this point of the season?

RE: Houston is the type of team that can play with anyone in the nation when its defense is at the top of its game. The Cougars have not received as much credit as they deserve in light of a weaker-than-expected AAC this season.

Doc's: We talked at length about the recent NBA trades both before and after the deadline earlier this month. Do you have any comments concerning Monday's trade deadline in the NHL with those playoffs getting underway in early April?

RE: The NHL trade deadline came and went with little fanfare as expected. I was actually surprised that ESPN even covered that event. My only observation was Vegas giving up far too much to acquire Mark Stone. He will help in the short term, but the Golden Knights are still chasing San Jose and Calgary in the Pacific Division.

Doc's: The top entertainment awards shows are in the books with Sunday's Oscars' presentation. What pop culture event is next on the list when it comes to releasing a few picks for betting props?

RE: A bit farther down the road on Sunday, April 7, is WrestleMania 35. I will also start taking a closer look at some props for the latest Avengers' movie that is currently in the works. From a sports betting standpoint, this Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream should be a great race with a few Kentucky Derby contenders in the field.

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.

Start:	November 22, 2024 @ 8:00 PM
Expert:	Raphael Esparza (VSI)
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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza

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