Weekly Sports Betting and Handicapping News Articles

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 1/31/2017

It is Super Bowl week. And while most handicappers are busy putting their final touches on their top selections for Sunday's big game, rest assured that Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza is also cooking up a few top plays for some props that might just be a bit off the main grid for your average sports bettor.

Case of the Mondays: Knicks Struggling Both On and Off the Court
by Ricky Dimon - 1/30/2017

The dog days of the NBA regular season are upon us. A crazy Christmas schedule kept things interesting in the aftermath of the season-opening honeymoon, but now the league is just trudging through a couple more months until the playoffs as college basketball takes center stage. Perhaps no fan-base or team is feeling lower than the New York Knicks at the moment. They are seven games under .500 and doing everything they can to unload Carmelo Anthony prior to the Feb. 23 trade deadline.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 1/27/2017

A. Andy Murray. It was all right there for Murray to win the Australian Open for the first time in his career after nemesis Novak Djokovic lost in the second round. The world No. 1 is a five-time runner-up in Melbourne, having fallen at the final hurdle four times to Djokovic and once to Federer. But Murray could not capitalize on the Serb's exit as he suffered a third-round upset of his own at the hands of Mischa Zverev in four sets. GT Bets has Rafael Nadal as a -120 favorite over Roger Federer in Sunday's final.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Patriots vs. Falcons in Super Bowl LI
by Ricky Dimon - 1/25/2017

Throughout the second half of the regular season, Green Bay and Pittsburgh arguably looked like the two best teams in the NFL. Well, that debate got sorted out in a hurry during championship weekend. What we're left with is undoubtedly the two best, most well-rounded clubs heading to Houston, Tex. on Feb. 5. It will be Atlanta Falcons vs. the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 1/24/2017

Super Bowl LI between New England and Atlanta is probably at the top of the list for sports bettors right now, but this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza runs the gambit from his early take on the opening betting lines for the big game to some recent prop bet odds he just covered for Ronda Rousey's immediate future.

Case of the Mondays: Blowout Trend Continues in Conference Title Games
by Ricky Dimon - 1/23/2017

Ten pretenders have been separated from the two remaining contenders in the NFL playoffs. Of the 10 playoff games, only two have been remotely competitive. The two exceptions came during divisional-round action before Sunday's festivities produced another pair of snoozers. Both the AFC and NFC title games resulted in beatdowns by the home teams, with the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons rolling into Super Bowl LI. Thus two legendary franchises-the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers-were sent packing.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 1/19/2017

A. Antonio Brown. Safest bet of championship weekend in the NFL: Brown will not broadcast Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin's postgame speech in the locker room on Facebook Live. That's exactly what Brown did, however, after the Steelers beat Kansas City 18-16 last Sunday night. 5Dimes Sportsbook has Pittsburgh as a +6 underdog at New England in the AFC Championship.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: And Then There Were Four
by Ricky Dimon - 1/18/2017

After home teams won the first six games of the NFL Playoffs, things started to get really interesting this past Sunday. Dallas and Kansas City tumbled out of the postseason, losing their respective openers to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. The Packers and Steelers will now travel to Atlanta and New England, respectively. Speaking of a final four, conference action is heating up on the hardwood with the NCAA Tournament almost exactly two months away.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 1/17/2017

Doc's Sports: The home favorites pulled off the four-game sweep both straight up and against the spread in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs, and the betting public cleaned up against the Las Vegas sportsbooks. Last weekend's Divisional Round had mixed betting results with two road underdogs coming out on top, so who came out on top at the betting window this time around, the bettors or the books?

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Patriots Primed to Win Another Super Bowl
by Ricky Dimon - 1/12/2017

Division winners turned the tide after losing all four wild-card playoff games last season. Take Houston, for example. The Texans fell to Kansas City 30-0 at that stage in 2015-16 but hammered Oakland 27-14 last weekend. Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Green Bay also advanced. A blockbuster field of eight remains, with New England favored to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 1/11/2017

A. Atrocious. That's how Draymond Green described the Warriors' fourth-quarter offense following a 128-119 overtime loss to Memphis last Friday. Golden State blew a 24-point lead and was outscored 32-13 in the final frame. Green said that his team's fourth-quarter offense had been bad all season and that he was "happy we lost" to get things cleaned up. The Warriors are -130 at BetOnline Sportsbook to win the NBA title.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 1/10/2017

The upcoming Divisional Round of this season's NFL playoffs features four intriguing matchups for sports bettors between the eight best teams in the league. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will have him weigh in with his thoughts on the best way to bet each of this Sunday's NFL playoff games.

Case of the Mondays: Giants, Raiders Among Those Blown Out on Wild-Card Weekend
by Ricky Dimon - 1/9/2017

Wild-card weekend in the NFL turned out to be a somewhat predictable snooze-fest. All four home teams-and all four favorites-made a mockery of their games. The division winners made quick work of the wild-card entrants, with Oakland and Detroit bowing out listlessly on Saturday before the Dolphins and Giants saw their seasons end in a whimper on Sunday. Thus the stage is set for what should be a much more intriguing final eight.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: : Alabama, Clemson Ready for Rematch
by Ricky Dimon - 1/4/2017

Ohio State and Washington, thank goodness, are out of the way. All that are left are the two teams that are clearly the class of college football: Alabama and Clemson. A rematch of the 2015-16 National Championship will take center stage next Monday, following a weekend of NFL playoff festivities.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 1/3/2017

This season's College Football Playoff Championship Game next Monday night is a rematch of last year's title game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his take on how he sees this year's game playing out. Also as a new feature for 2017, we will be checking in on 'Raphael's Betting Radar' for one of his best opportunities each week to post a winning ticket.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 1/3/2017

A. Alabama. Lane Kiffin won't be around for next Monday's National Championship. His former team will be. Two days after Alabama clobbered Washington 24-7 in the College Football Playoff, Kiffin and head coach Nick Saban came to a "mutual" agreement that the offensive coordinator will begin his duties with Florida Atlantic effective immediately. Translation: Kiffin got fired one week before the title game. The Crimson Tide are -6.5 favorites over Clemson, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

Case of the Mondays: Ohio State's Disaster Results in Championship Rematch
by Ricky Dimon - 1/2/2017

There has been one championship rematch in the history of the NCAA Tournament. In the much shorter BCS/College Football Playoff era, there will also be one as of next Monday night. Alabama and Clemson are set to square off for the title after Washington and Ohio State, respectively, were reduced to nothing more than innocent bystander status in the semifinals. In fact, the Buckeyes did not score a single point against the Tigers.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 12/27/2016

The highlight of this season's college bowl schedule is the two matchups in the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year's Eve. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his take on how he sees both of these showdowns playing out.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Fisher Already Out, but Who's Next?
by Ricky Dimon - 12/22/2016

Plenty of NFL teams already know they are headed to the playoffs. Others? Not so much. Jeff Fisher recently got the boot as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, and he may not be alone for long in terms of being out a job. While action on the gridiron is heating up down the stretch of the regular season, the off-the-field saga is similarly intriguing.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 12/20/2016

One of the top showdowns in Week 16 of the NFL season is a battle for the AFC North Division title between the 8-6 Baltimore Ravens and the 9-5 Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. Both teams control their own destiny in this matchup in light of the Ravens' earlier victory this season against their bitter rivals. This week will check in with Doc's expert handicapper Raphael Esparza to find out which way he is leaning in the rematch.