diff --git a/src/Xxcbint.h b/src/Xxcbint.h
index 4ef13d2f..d8293259 100644
--- a/src/Xxcbint.h
+++ b/src/Xxcbint.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ typedef struct _X11XCBPrivate {
 	PendingRequest *pending_requests;
 	PendingRequest *pending_requests_tail;
 	xcb_generic_event_t *next_event;
+	void *next_response;
 	char *real_bufmax;
 	char *reply_data;
 	int reply_length;
diff --git a/src/xcb_io.c b/src/xcb_io.c
index 0bd1fdf9..4be75408 100644
--- a/src/xcb_io.c
+++ b/src/xcb_io.c
@@ -282,22 +282,83 @@ static xcb_generic_reply_t *poll_for_event(Display *dpy, Bool queued_only)
 static xcb_generic_reply_t *poll_for_response(Display *dpy)
 {
 	void *response;
-	xcb_generic_error_t *error;
+	xcb_generic_reply_t *event;
 	PendingRequest *req;
-	while(!(response = poll_for_event(dpy, False)) &&
-	      (req = dpy->xcb->pending_requests) &&
-	      !req->reply_waiter)
+
+	while(1)
 	{
+		xcb_generic_error_t *error = NULL;
 		uint64_t request;
+		Bool poll_queued_only = dpy->xcb->next_response != NULL;
 
-		if(!xcb_poll_for_reply64(dpy->xcb->connection, req->sequence,
-					 &response, &error)) {
-			/* xcb_poll_for_reply64 may have read events even if
-			 * there is no reply. */
-			response = poll_for_event(dpy, True);
+		/* Step 1: is there an event in our queue before the next
+		 * reply/error? Return that first.
+		 *
+		 * If we don't have a reply/error saved from an earlier
+		 * invocation we check incoming events too, otherwise only
+		 * the ones already queued.
+		 */
+		response = poll_for_event(dpy, poll_queued_only);
+		if(response)
 			break;
+
+		/* Step 2:
+		 * Response is NULL, i.e. we have no events.
+		 * If we are not waiting for a reply or some other thread
+		 * had dibs on the next reply, exit.
+		 */
+		req = dpy->xcb->pending_requests;
+		if(!req || req->reply_waiter)
+			break;
+
+		/* Step 3:
+		 * We have some response (error or reply) related to req
+		 * saved from an earlier invocation of this function. Let's
+		 * use that one.
+		 */
+		if(dpy->xcb->next_response)
+		{
+			if (((xcb_generic_reply_t*)dpy->xcb->next_response)->response_type == X_Error)
+			{
+				error = dpy->xcb->next_response;
+				response = NULL;
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				response = dpy->xcb->next_response;
+				error = NULL;
+			}
+			dpy->xcb->next_response = NULL;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			/* Step 4: pull down the next response from the wire. This
+			 * should be the 99% case.
+			 * xcb_poll_for_reply64() may also pull down events that
+			 * happened before the reply.
+			 */
+			if(!xcb_poll_for_reply64(dpy->xcb->connection, req->sequence,
+						 &response, &error)) {
+				/* if there is no reply/error, xcb_poll_for_reply64
+				 * may have read events. Return that. */
+				response = poll_for_event(dpy, True);
+				break;
+			}
+
+			/* Step 5: we have a new response, but we may also have some
+			 * events that happened before that response. Return those
+			 * first and save our reply/error for the next invocation.
+			 */
+			event = poll_for_event(dpy, True);
+			if(event)
+			{
+				dpy->xcb->next_response = error ? error : response;
+				response = event;
+				break;
+			}
 		}
 
+		/* Step 6: actually handle the reply/error now... */
 		request = X_DPY_GET_REQUEST(dpy);
 		if(XLIB_SEQUENCE_COMPARE(req->sequence, >, request))
 		{