Ah, the Las Vegas fall. It’s that time of year when the high temperatures finally drop into the 90s, pool season ends, barbecues begin and we enjoy a brief respite from the melting cars.

But the live poker scene around Las Vegas is starting to heat up again, after the summer break from the WSOP. Three of the big four rooms — Venetian, Bellagio, Caesars — are hosting fall tournaments. And the WSOP Main Event final table returns to the Rio later this month.

Even Howard Lederer made a ballyhooed return to high stakes cash games at Aria and Bellagio this week. He played in Bobby’s Room on Monday, the Ivey Room on Tuesday, and found his way back to Bellagio on Wednesday with a nosebleed crew that included Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Chau Giang, and Nick Schulman. Lederer’s given no indication where he’s headed next, but I imagine he’s a little more than a DOJ seizure away from the .50/$1 game at Bill’s.

I wanted to snap a picture of Lederer when I saw him at Aria, but security threatened to ban anyone who did, and Dan’s not paying me enough to risk arrest or deportation, so … this twitpic posted to 2+2 will have to be good enough.

Most 2+2 posters blasted the former Full Tilt Poker owner for re-appearing on the poker landscape the way he has, but even longtime foe Daniel Negreanu said he had no qualms with casinos allowing him (or his sister Annie Duke) to play.

“I don’t like either,” Negreanu tweeted, “but don’t have a problem facing them at the table. … Russ Hamilton regularly plays in Florida casinos. It’s not the responsibility of the casino to bar them. Lots of dirtbags play.”

Perhaps Lederer and Negreanu can square off soon, as there’s no shortage of upcoming tournament events in Las Vegas.

The fall tournament action starts today, with the Wynn Fall Classic running through Oct. 31. It’s a series of about a dozen mostly no-limit hold’em events ranging from $165 satellites to the $1,500 main event.

The 6th Annual Caesars Palace Poker Classic begins Friday and goes through Oct. 28.

Bellagio’s Festa al Lago Classic also starts Friday, culminating with the Oct. 27 final table of the $10,000 main event. The winner of that receives an entry into the $25,000 buy-in 2013 WPT championship.

The end of October will also see the first Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza Series in its newly refurbished room. That series starts Oct. 25 and ends Nov. 19.

October, as you probably know, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And Station Casinos’ “Project Pink” means their poker rooms (Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, Boulder Station, etc.) will be spreading charity cash games. On Oct. 19 and 20, rake from tables designated with special pink felts will be going to the Southern Nevada Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Last year this amounted to nearly $50,000.

And oh yeah, don’t forget, the WSOP Main Event final table resumes Oct. 28-30, with live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. I’ve applied for media credentials and expect to report and tweet about the festivities at the Rio, so long as I’m not deep in the Wynn tourney or buried in a cash game somewhere nearby.