Weekly Sports Betting and Handicapping News Articles

Sports Betting Futures Odds: And Then There Were Four
by Ricky Dimon - 5/14/2015

The New York Rangers rounded out the Stanley Cup final four in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, winning Game 7 against the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime inside Madison Square Garden. Conference finals action will begin this weekend, another big one in sports that also includes the Preakness Stakes.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 5/12/2015

Doc's Sports: The Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers are deadlocked at two games apiece in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup after a couple of thrilling buzzer-beaters by the team's top two stars. Do Derrick Rose and your hometown Bulls still have what it takes to pull off an upset, or is LeBron James and his Cavaliers back in charge of this series?

Case of the Mondays: LeBron Puts Blatt on Blast
by Ricky Dimon - 5/11/2015

LeBron James took—and made—the big shot in the Cleveland Cavaliers last-second win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Then he took a borderline cheap shot during the postgame press conference at head coach David Blatt, who allegedly called for LeBron to inbound the ball on the final play before LeBron “scratched” it and demanded to take the last shot. The rest, of course, is history.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 5/6/2015

A. American Pharoah. Last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby was a three-horse race from start to finish, and the favorite—American Pharoah—won it. The highlight may have been the down-the-stretch reaction by Bode Baffert, the 10-year-old son of winning trainer Bob Baffert. The kid was going positively nuts as Pharoah pulled ahead toward the finish line, almost as if he was at the Tokyo airport when Taylor Swift arrived. Pharoah is +250 at GT Bets to win the Triple Crown.

Weekly Q&A with Doc’s Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 5/5/2015

Doc’s Sports: This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the highly-touted welterweight fight between Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. went exactly according to script with Mayweather pounding out a unanimous decision at the end of the 12 rounds. How did the books in town fare with this result?

Case of the Mondays: A New NBA Champion Will Be Crowned
by Ricky Dimon - 5/4/2015

There will be no repeat for the San Antonio Spurs as the defending NBA champions were eliminated in the first round—yes, that was the first round—by the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend. Speaking of elimination, the Minnesota Wild are halfway there after losing two straight to the Chicago Blackhawks and Jim Furyk was when Rory McIlory made a 44-foot bomb for eagle at the match-play event.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/29/2015

A. Ariana Grande. Grande is newly single after her recent breakup with Big Sean. That may seem like good news for all single guys, but it would be bad news if she ends up dating Justin Bieber (already rumored). Because let’s be honest; Big Sean with Grande is more tolerable than the Biebs with Grande.

Weekly Q&A with Doc’s Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 4/28/2015

Doc’s Sports: In one of the biggest sports betting weekends in quite some time, the biggest event in Las Vegas is Saturday night’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. 12-round bout. It appears that the general betting public is all over Pacquiao in this fight, but the sharp money has gone towards Mayweather. What is your take on the overall betting action in town leading into this epic fight?

Sports Betting Futures Odds: It Doesn’t Get Any Bigger Than This Weekend
by Ricky Dimon - 4/28/2015

The NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night and extends through Saturday. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao is on Saturday. So, too, is the Kentucky Derby. The NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs will also be taking place. Get your popcorn—and the remote control—ready. And get your sportsbook accounts ready, as well.

Case of the Mondays: I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues
by Ricky Dimon - 4/27/2015

The St. Louis Blues are signing after the blues after an unexpectedly brief stay in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After trying for first in the Western Conference with 109 points during the regular season, St. Louis got bounced of the first round in six games by the Minnesota Wild. Speaking of higher-seeded teams making early exits, the Toronto Raptors were dismissed from NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs in rapid speed.

Case of the Mondays: Spurs off to Slow Start in Playoffs
by Ricky Dimon - 4/20/2015

For the most part, road teams are expected to lose Game 1 of any playoff series. That the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Boston Celtics did just that on Sunday came as no surprise. The San Antonio Spurs’ setback, however, was more alarming. San Antonio got manhandled by the L.A. Clippers 107-92 in the opener of what on paper is the most intriguing first-round matchup of the NBA’s postseason.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Playoffs? You Kidding Me? Playoffs?
by Ricky Dimon - 4/16/2015

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, and NBA postseason action begins this weekend. Is a Windy City sweep a possibility, with both the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls among the top-four favorites? Or will favorites like the New York Rangers and Cleveland Cavaliers take care of business? We will find out…but not anytime soon; after all, these playoffs last forever.

Weekly Q&A with Doc’s Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 4/14/2015

Doc’s Sports: The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, and most sportsbooks have the New York Rangers favored to win the Eastern Conference and Chicago as a slight favorite to win the West. If you had to make an early pick for which two teams will meet in this season’s NHL Finals, whom would they be?

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/8/2015

A. Aaron Hernandez. Cue up a real-life version of Brad Pitt’s “What’s in the box?” moment from Seven. One of the key issues in the Hernandez trial is the box that was hurriedly disposed of by his girlfriend. One can assume what was in it and why it was discarded, but nothing has been proven. Juror deliberations are underway, so hopefully this thing will finally be over soon.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: McIlory, Spieth Co-favorites in Augusta
by Ricky Dimon - 4/7/2015

Rory McIlory has won each of the last two majors heading into this week’s Masters. Jordan Spieth is the hottest player on tour and almost arrived at Augusta National fresh off a victory at the Shell Houston Open. Spieth ended up losing in a playoff, but his odds to don the green jacket improved to the extent that he is now a co-favorite along with McIlroy.

NBA and NHL Betting: How to Spot Tanking Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 4/6/2015

There has been a lot of talk about tanking in both the NBA and the NHL this year — a lot more than usual. The Philadelphia 76ers started it all in the basketball world with a brazen and unapologetic devotion to losing as many games as possible to build for their future. Phil Jackson’s current and former teams aren’t being as calculated, but the Knicks and Lakers have been more than a little effective at losing.

Case of the Mondays: Big Blue Nation Feeling Blue
by Ricky Dimon - 4/6/2015

So much for 40-0. The final mark will go down as 38-1. In a season that was championship-or-bust (is any Kentucky season not categorized as such?), the Wildcats swept their way through the entire schedule before running into Wisconsin in the Final Four last Saturday. The Badgers pulled off the upset, sending all of Kentucky into what will undoubtedly be a deep depression until the 2015-16 campaign begins.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/3/2015

A. Australia. India’s cricket administration better get Sachin Tendulkar on line two sometime before 2019 (no matter that he will be 45 by then), because it lost in the semifinals of the World Cup last week. Indian won it all with Tendulkar in 2011, but this time the cup went to host Australia. The Aussies have a dynasty going with five titles (no other country has more than two), including four in the last five tournaments.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Curry Pulling Away in MVP race?
by Ricky Dimon - 4/1/2015

The college kids have the stage this weekend through next Monday night as the Final Four takes center stage in Indianapolis, but don’t forget about the NBA. Playoffs are on the horizon and although Golden State has the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference locked up, Stephen Curry has something of his own to play for: MVP.

Weekly Q&A with Doc’s Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 3/31/2015

Doc’s Sports: Last week you told us that the Las Vegas sportsbooks cleaned up through the first few rounds of this season’s men’s NCAA Tournament with a huge take on that first Thursday of action. How did the books fare through the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight Rounds?