diff --git a/handlers/poker.js b/handlers/poker.js
index a0d7dd1..28d8997 100644
--- a/handlers/poker.js
+++ b/handlers/poker.js
@@ -153,6 +153,32 @@ async function recoverPoker(
         const result =
             await service.recover();
 
+        const activeTables =
+            await service.listActiveTables();
+
+        /*
+         * Rehydrate every still-active public Poker table after
+         * restart, even when no recovery action was necessary.
+         * Mongo remains authoritative; the Discord embed is only
+         * a projection of the current stored game state.
+         */
+
+        for (const game of activeTables) {
+            try {
+                await refreshPokerTableMessage(
+                    client,
+                    game
+                );
+            }
+            catch (error) {
+                console.error(
+                    `[Poker] Failed to refresh active table ${game.gameId}:`,
+                    error
+                );
+            }
+        }
+
+
         for (
             const turn
             of result.turns ?? []
@@ -212,7 +238,8 @@ async function recoverPoker(
             `${result.cashouts.length} cash-out(s), ` +
             `${result.closingTables.length} closing table(s), ` +
             `${result.turns.length} expired turn(s), ` +
-            `${result.lobbies.length} expired lobby/lobbies.`
+            `${result.lobbies.length} expired lobby/lobbies, ` +
+            `${activeTables.length} active table(s) refreshed.`
         );
     }
 
diff --git a/utils/crumbPoker.js b/utils/crumbPoker.js
index 9258229..5b7b727 100644
--- a/utils/crumbPoker.js
+++ b/utils/crumbPoker.js
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ const POKER_DEFAULT_BIG_BLIND =
     200;
 
 const POKER_DEFAULT_BUY_IN =
-    5000;
+    1000;
 
 const POKER_TURN_TIMEOUT =
     30;
@@ -652,6 +652,22 @@ function getSpecialGameCollection() {
     );
 }
 
+function stripMongoId(
+    document
+) {
+    if (!document) {
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    const {
+        _id,
+        ...rest
+    } = document;
+
+    return rest;
+}
+
+
 function createMongoPokerStore(
     collection =
         getSpecialGameCollection()
@@ -660,13 +676,18 @@ function createMongoPokerStore(
         async getGame(
             gameId
         ) {
-            return collection.findOne({
-                gameId,
-                gameType:
-                    POKER_GAME_TYPE,
-                recordType:
-                    "game"
-            });
+            const document =
+                await collection.findOne({
+                    gameId,
+                    gameType:
+                        POKER_GAME_TYPE,
+                    recordType:
+                        "game"
+                });
+
+            return stripMongoId(
+                document
+            );
         },
 
         async insertGame(
@@ -687,6 +708,14 @@ function createMongoPokerStore(
             const replacement =
                 clone(nextGame);
 
+            /*
+             * MongoDB owns _id. Domain game objects must never
+             * replace it, especially after structuredClone()
+             * has converted a BSON ObjectId into a plain object.
+             */
+
+            delete replacement._id;
+
             const result =
                 await collection.replaceOne(
                     {
@@ -709,24 +738,29 @@ function createMongoPokerStore(
             guildId,
             userId
         ) {
-            return collection.findOne({
-                gameType:
-                    POKER_GAME_TYPE,
-                recordType:
-                    "game",
-                guildId,
-                state: {
-                    $nin: [
-                        "CLOSED"
-                    ]
-                },
-                "data.players": {
-                    $elemMatch: {
-                        userId:
-                            String(userId)
+            const document =
+                await collection.findOne({
+                    gameType:
+                        POKER_GAME_TYPE,
+                    recordType:
+                        "game",
+                    guildId,
+                    state: {
+                        $nin: [
+                            "CLOSED"
+                        ]
+                    },
+                    "data.players": {
+                        $elemMatch: {
+                            userId:
+                                String(userId)
+                        }
                     }
-                }
-            });
+                });
+
+            return stripMongoId(
+                document
+            );
         },
 
         async listJoinableGames(
@@ -751,21 +785,50 @@ function createMongoPokerStore(
                     channelId;
             }
 
-            return collection
-                .find(filter)
-                .sort({
-                    updatedAt: -1
-                })
-                .limit(
-                    Math.max(
-                        1,
-                        Math.min(
-                            25,
-                            Number(limit) || 25
+            const documents =
+                await collection
+                    .find(filter)
+                    .sort({
+                        updatedAt: -1
+                    })
+                    .limit(
+                        Math.max(
+                            1,
+                            Math.min(
+                                25,
+                                Number(limit) || 25
+                            )
                         )
                     )
-                )
-                .toArray();
+                    .toArray();
+
+            return documents.map(
+                stripMongoId
+            );
+        },
+
+        async listActiveGames() {
+            const documents =
+                await collection
+                    .find({
+                        gameType:
+                            POKER_GAME_TYPE,
+                        recordType:
+                            "game",
+                        state: {
+                            $nin: [
+                                "CLOSED"
+                            ]
+                        }
+                    })
+                    .sort({
+                        updatedAt: -1
+                    })
+                    .toArray();
+
+            return documents.map(
+                stripMongoId
+            );
         },
 
         async claimMembership({
@@ -2624,6 +2687,11 @@ function createPokerService({
         return results;
     }
 
+    async function listActiveTables() {
+        return store.listActiveGames();
+    }
+
+
     async function recover() {
         const [
             memberships,
@@ -2670,6 +2738,7 @@ function createPokerService({
         recoverClosingTables,
         recoverPendingMemberships,
         recover,
+        listActiveTables,
 
         publicTableState,
         sanitizeGameForCaller