diff --git a/server/core/poll.c b/server/core/poll.c
index 03ced1bfa..9f39ee50b 100644
--- a/server/core/poll.c
+++ b/server/core/poll.c
@@ -377,13 +377,30 @@ return_rc:
  * events at a high rate will not block the execution of events for other DCB's and
  * should result in a fairer polling strategy.
  *
+ * The introduction of the ability to inject "fake" write events into the event queue meant
+ * that there was a possibility to "starve" new events sicne the polling loop would
+ * consume the event queue before lookign for new events. If the DCB that inject
+ * the fake event then injected another fake event as a result of the first it meant
+ * that new events did not get added to the queue. The strategy has been updated to
+ * not consume the entire event queue, but process one event before doing a non-blocking
+ * call to add any new events before processing any more events. A blocking call to
+ * collect events is only made if there are no pending events to be processed on the
+ * event queue.
+ *
+ * Also introduced a "timeout bias" mechanism. This mechansim control the length of
+ * of timeout passed to epoll_wait in blocking calls based on previous behaviour.
+ * The initial call will block for 10% of the define timeout peroid, this will be
+ * increased in increments of 10% until the full timeout value is used. If at any
+ * point there is an event to be processed then the value will be reduced to 10% again
+ * for the next blocking call.
+ *
  * @param arg	The thread ID passed as a void * to satisfy the threading package
  */
 void
 poll_waitevents(void *arg)
 {
 struct epoll_event events[MAX_EVENTS];
-int		   i, nfds;
+int		   i, nfds, timeout_bias = 1;
 int		   thread_id = (int)arg;
 DCB                *zombies = NULL;
 
@@ -399,14 +416,9 @@ DCB                *zombies = NULL;
 	
 	while (1)
 	{
-		/* Process of the queue of waiting requests */
-		while (do_shutdown == 0 && process_pollq(thread_id))
+		if (pollStats.evq_pending == 0 && timeout_bias < 10)
 		{
-			if (thread_data)
-				thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_ZPROCESSING;
-			zombies = dcb_process_zombies(thread_id);
-			if (thread_data)
-				thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_IDLE;
+			timeout_bias++;
 		}
 
 		atomic_add(&n_waiting, 1);
@@ -440,13 +452,16 @@ DCB                *zombies = NULL;
 		 * If there are no new descriptors from the non-blocking call
 		 * and nothing to proces on the event queue then for do a
 		 * blocking call to epoll_wait.
+		 *
+		 * We calculate a timeout bias to alter the length of the blocking
+		 * call based on the time since we last received an event to process
 		 */
-		else if (nfds == 0 && process_pollq(thread_id) == 0)
+		else if (nfds == 0 && pollStats.evq_pending > 0)
 		{
 			nfds = epoll_wait(epoll_fd,
                                                   events,
                                                   MAX_EVENTS,
-                                                  EPOLL_TIMEOUT);
+                                                  (EPOLL_TIMEOUT * timeout_bias) / 10);
 			if (nfds == 0 && pollStats.evq_pending)
 				atomic_add(&pollStats.wake_evqpending, 1);
 		}
@@ -463,6 +478,7 @@ DCB                *zombies = NULL;
 #endif /* BLOCKINGPOLL */
 		if (nfds > 0)
 		{
+			timeout_bias = 1;
                         LOGIF(LD, (skygw_log_write(
                                 LOGFILE_DEBUG,
                                 "%lu [poll_waitevents] epoll_wait found %d fds",
@@ -542,21 +558,20 @@ DCB                *zombies = NULL;
 		}
 
 		/*
-		 * If there was nothing to process then process the zombie queue
+		 * Process of the queue of waiting requests
+		 * This is done without checking the evq_pending count as a
+		 * precautionary measure to avoid issues if the house keeping
+		 * of the count goes wrong.
 		 */
-		if (process_pollq(thread_id) == 0)
-		{
-			if (thread_data)
-			{
-				thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_ZPROCESSING;
-			}
-			zombies = dcb_process_zombies(thread_id);
-			if (thread_data)
-			{
-				thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_IDLE;
-			}
-		}
-                
+		if (process_pollq(thread_id))
+			timeout_bias = 1;
+
+		if (thread_data)
+			thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_ZPROCESSING;
+		zombies = dcb_process_zombies(thread_id);
+		if (thread_data)
+			thread_data[thread_id].state = THREAD_IDLE;
+
 		if (do_shutdown)
 		{
                         /*<
@@ -1152,7 +1167,11 @@ int		new_samples, new_nfds;
  * queue.
  *
  * This is used to trigger transmission activity on another DCB from
- * within the event processing routine of a DCB.
+ * within the event processing routine of a DCB. or to allow a DCB
+ * to defer some further output processing, to allow for other DCBs
+ * to receive a slice of the processing time. Fake events are added
+ * to the tail of the event queue, in the same way that real events
+ * are, so maintain the "fairness" of processing.
  *
  * @param dcb	DCB to emulate an EPOLLOUT event for
  */