diff --git a/go/pools/smartconnpool/pool.go b/go/pools/smartconnpool/pool.go
index b024cc656df..52346adb1a4 100644
--- a/go/pools/smartconnpool/pool.go
+++ b/go/pools/smartconnpool/pool.go
@@ -161,7 +161,6 @@ type ConnPool[C Connection] struct {
 // The pool must be ConnPool.Open before it can start giving out connections
 func NewPool[C Connection](config *Config[C]) *ConnPool[C] {
 	pool := &ConnPool[C]{}
-	pool.freshSettingsStack.Store(-1)
 	pool.config.maxCapacity = config.Capacity
 	pool.config.maxIdleCount = config.MaxIdleCount
 	pool.config.maxLifetime.Store(config.MaxLifetime.Nanoseconds())
@@ -202,8 +201,14 @@ func (pool *ConnPool[C]) open() {
 
 	// The expire worker takes care of removing from the waiter list any clients whose
 	// context has been cancelled.
-	pool.runWorker(pool.close, 1*time.Second, func(_ time.Time) bool {
-		pool.wait.expire(false)
+	pool.runWorker(pool.close, 100*time.Millisecond, func(_ time.Time) bool {
+		maybeStarving := pool.wait.expire(false)
+
+		// Do not allow connections to starve; if there's waiters in the queue
+		// and connections in the stack, it means we could be starving them.
+		// Try getting out a connection and handing it over directly
+		for n := 0; n < maybeStarving && pool.tryReturnAnyConn(); n++ {
+		}
 		return true
 	})
 
@@ -416,20 +421,37 @@ func (pool *ConnPool[C]) put(conn *Pooled[C]) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if !pool.wait.tryReturnConn(conn) {
-		if pool.closeOnIdleLimitReached(conn) {
-			return
-		}
+	pool.tryReturnConn(conn)
+}
+
+func (pool *ConnPool[C]) tryReturnConn(conn *Pooled[C]) bool {
+	if pool.wait.tryReturnConn(conn) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if pool.closeOnIdleLimitReached(conn) {
+		return false
+	}
+	connSetting := conn.Conn.Setting()
+	if connSetting == nil {
+		pool.clean.Push(conn)
+	} else {
+		stack := connSetting.bucket & stackMask
+		pool.settings[stack].Push(conn)
+		pool.freshSettingsStack.Store(int64(stack))
+	}
+	return false
+}
 
-		connSetting := conn.Conn.Setting()
-		if connSetting == nil {
-			pool.clean.Push(conn)
-		} else {
-			stack := connSetting.bucket & stackMask
-			pool.settings[stack].Push(conn)
-			pool.freshSettingsStack.Store(int64(stack))
+func (pool *ConnPool[C]) tryReturnAnyConn() bool {
+	if conn, ok := pool.clean.Pop(); ok {
+		return pool.tryReturnConn(conn)
+	}
+	for u := 0; u <= stackMask; u++ {
+		if conn, ok := pool.settings[u].Pop(); ok {
+			return pool.tryReturnConn(conn)
 		}
 	}
+	return false
 }
 
 // closeOnIdleLimitReached closes a connection if the number of idle connections (active - inuse) in the pool
@@ -484,14 +506,9 @@ func (pool *ConnPool[C]) connNew(ctx context.Context) (*Pooled[C], error) {
 }
 
 func (pool *ConnPool[C]) getFromSettingsStack(setting *Setting) *Pooled[C] {
-	fresh := pool.freshSettingsStack.Load()
-	if fresh < 0 {
-		return nil
-	}
-
 	var start uint32
 	if setting == nil {
-		start = uint32(fresh)
+		start = uint32(pool.freshSettingsStack.Load())
 	} else {
 		start = setting.bucket
 	}
diff --git a/go/pools/smartconnpool/waitlist.go b/go/pools/smartconnpool/waitlist.go
index f16215f4b14..ef1eb1fe997 100644
--- a/go/pools/smartconnpool/waitlist.go
+++ b/go/pools/smartconnpool/waitlist.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func (wl *waitlist[C]) waitForConn(ctx context.Context, setting *Setting) (*Pool
 
 // expire removes and wakes any expired waiter in the waitlist.
 // if force is true, it'll wake and remove all the waiters.
-func (wl *waitlist[C]) expire(force bool) {
+func (wl *waitlist[C]) expire(force bool) (maybeStarving int) {
 	if wl.list.Len() == 0 {
 		return
 	}
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ func (wl *waitlist[C]) expire(force bool) {
 			expired = append(expired, e)
 			continue
 		}
+		if e.Value.age == 0 {
+			maybeStarving++
+		}
 	}
 	// remove the expired waiters from the waitlist after traversing it
 	for _, e := range expired {
@@ -102,6 +105,7 @@ func (wl *waitlist[C]) expire(force bool) {
 	for _, e := range expired {
 		e.Value.sema.notify(false)
 	}
+	return
 }
 
 // tryReturnConn tries handing over a connection to one of the waiters in the pool.