There's been several issues of LVA, including the present one, where how to best use the coupons is discussed. Downtown Vegas is the place to go if you want maximum efficiency/value. There's over $120 in expected value available, about half of it free play. If you don't have a car available, you won't be able to utilize all of the book's coupons, but all the downtown offers are within easy walking distance. BTW, the two glasses of champagne at the top of the Circa is a new coupon, and it allows you to see the newest glitzy joint downtown. You have four 2-for-1 dining options for when you get hungry--I like Magnolia's, which is centrally located. (BTW it's not part of the LVA coupon thing, but several of the downtown casinos give you free play just for signing up for their players' club, and you can piggyback that on top of the coupon. For instance, Four Queens has been giving new signups $10 free play since time immemorial. So sign up for every players' club--you'll have to do that anyway to utilize the coupons.)
My maximization strategy is: play video poker with the free play. Play it through once and cash out--don't continue playing, regardless of how well you do. Matchplays--bet them on an even-money outcome such as Pass or Don't Pass, or (a bit worse odds-wise) one spin of the roulette wheel. Cash out if you win and walk away. If you have any "play x get y" coupons, play that exact amount, get the freeplay reward, play that, then walk away. (As you might imagine, these coupons rarely cost the casinos anything because people keep playing until the money's gone; my strategy is to do the exact opposite.)
The only oddball one is the blackjack pays 2 for 1 coupon at the Golden Gate. This one is worth about half of a bet, so if you play the maximum of $25/hand, it's worth $12.50. But there's the danger that you could lose a bunch while waiting for that blackjack to come along. The same risk applies to the play x get y coupons. Use those ONLY for video poker (not slots; slots are radioactive, poisonous, AND fattening.)
You can definitely get comped drinks while using free play at a bar. The bartender won't care where your machine credits came from. The same goes, of course, for cocktail waitress service at the regular machine banks. Tip generously.
The 20% at Oscar's is off the total bill.
Walking from the Flamingo to LVA and back...it's a little over 2 miles, and frankly, the walk has little to recommend it: it goes through a fairly barren commercial/industrial area. I'd just get the book mailed to you, unless the cost of that is prohibitive if it's going to the UK. You walk 4+ miles, that's a couple of Vegas vacation hours you could be spending doing, you know, Vegas. (And BTW a taxi over and back, or a Lyft or Uber, is not a terrible idea, and wouldn't cost all that much.)
Since there will be two of you, buy two books. It's pretty much a no-brainer. You can have a fun day downtown, visit most of the casinos, and make back more than the cost of the book(s) at the same time.
