diff --git a/lib/endpoint.js b/lib/endpoint.js
index ad4d55f..d8736ea 100644
--- a/lib/endpoint.js
+++ b/lib/endpoint.js
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ module.exports = function (inherits, EventEmitter, Pinger) {
 		this.healthy = true
 		this.name = this.ip + ':' + this.port
 		this.address = this.ip
+		this.keepAlive = options.keepAlive
 
 		this.pinger = new Pinger(this.ping.bind(this))
 		this.pinger.on('pong', function () {
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ module.exports = function (inherits, EventEmitter, Pinger) {
 
 		this.pingPath = options.ping
 		this.pingTimeout = options.pingTimeout || 2000
-		if (options.keepAlive) {
+		if (this.keepAlive) {
 			if (protocol === http) {
 				this.agent = new KeepAlive(options.agentOptions)
 			}
@@ -72,6 +73,18 @@ module.exports = function (inherits, EventEmitter, Pinger) {
 	}
 	inherits(Endpoint, EventEmitter)
 
+	Endpoint.prototype.connected = function () {
+		return this.agent.sockets[this.name] && this.agent.sockets[this.name].length
+	}
+
+	Endpoint.prototype.ready = function () {
+		return this.healthy
+			&& (this.keepAlive ?
+				this.connected() > this.pending :
+				this.pending === 0
+			)
+	}
+
 	Endpoint.prototype.stats = function () {
 		var socketNames = Object.keys(this.agent.sockets)
 		var requestCounts = []
diff --git a/lib/pool.js b/lib/pool.js
index 04eb82a..4d229bc 100644
--- a/lib/pool.js
+++ b/lib/pool.js
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ module.exports = function (inherits, EventEmitter, Endpoint, RequestSet) {
 		}
 		return healthy
 	}
+	Pool.prototype.healthyNodes = Pool.prototype.healthy_nodes
 
 	Pool.prototype.onRetry = function (err) {
 		this.emit('retrying', err)
@@ -171,34 +172,37 @@ module.exports = function (inherits, EventEmitter, Endpoint, RequestSet) {
 
 	Pool.prototype.get_node = function () {
 		var len = this.nodes.length
-		var h = 0
+		var h = []
 		var sum = 0
 		var totalPending = 0
+		var r = Math.floor(Math.random() * len)
 		for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
-			var node = this.nodes[i]
-			if (node.healthy) {
-				h++
-				sum += node.busyness()
+			r = (r + 1) % len
+			var node = this.nodes[r]
+			if (node.ready()) {
+				return node //fast path
+			}
+			else if (node.healthy) {
+				h.push(node)
+				sum += node.pending
 			}
 			totalPending += node.pending
 		}
 		if (totalPending >= this.maxPending) {
 			return Endpoint.overloaded()
 		}
-		if (h !== 0) {
-			var avg = sum / h
-			var r = Math.floor(Math.random() * len)
-			for (i = 0; i < len; i++) {
-				r = (r + 1) % len
-				node = this.nodes[r]
-				if (node.healthy && avg >= node.busyness()) {
-					return node
-				}
+		var avg = sum / h.length
+		while (h.length) {
+			var node = h.pop()
+			if (node.pending <= avg) {
+				return node
 			}
 		}
 		return Endpoint.unhealthy()
 	}
 
+	Pool.prototype.getNode = Pool.prototype.get_node //must keep the old _ api
+
 	Pool.prototype.pending = function () {
 		return this.nodes.reduce(function (a, b) { return a + b.pending }, 0)
 	}
diff --git a/test/endpoint_test.js b/test/endpoint_test.js
index d60210e..b83c67e 100644
--- a/test/endpoint_test.js
+++ b/test/endpoint_test.js
@@ -441,6 +441,48 @@ describe("Endpoint", function () {
 		})
 	})
 
+	//
+	// ready
+	//
+	//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+	describe("ready()", function () {
+
+		it('returns true when it is healthy and connected > pending with keepAlive on',
+			function () {
+				var e = new Endpoint(http, '127.0.0.1', 6969, {keepAlive: true})
+				e.pending = 1
+				e.agent.sockets[e.name] = [1,2]
+				assert(e.ready())
+			}
+		)
+
+		it('returns false when it is healthy and connected = pending with keepAlive on',
+			function () {
+				var e = new Endpoint(http, '127.0.0.1', 6969, {keepAlive: true})
+				e.pending = 1
+				e.agent.sockets[e.name] = [1]
+				assert(!e.ready())
+			}
+		)
+
+		it('returns true when it is healthy and pending = 0 with keepAlive off',
+			function () {
+				var e = new Endpoint(http, '127.0.0.1', 6969)
+				e.pending = 0
+				assert(e.ready())
+			}
+		)
+
+		it('returns false when it is healthy and pending > 0 with keepAlive off',
+			function () {
+				var e = new Endpoint(http, '127.0.0.1', 6969)
+				e.pending = 1
+				assert(!e.ready())
+			}
+		)
+	})
+
 	//
 	// setHealthy
 	//
diff --git a/test/pool_test.js b/test/pool_test.js
index 9558228..e33fb63 100644
--- a/test/pool_test.js
+++ b/test/pool_test.js
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ var http = {
 
 function FakeEndpoint() {}
 inherits(FakeEndpoint, EventEmitter)
+FakeEndpoint.prototype.pending = 1
 FakeEndpoint.prototype.busyness = function () { return 1 }
+FakeEndpoint.prototype.connected = function () { return 0 }
+FakeEndpoint.prototype.ready = function () { return false }
 var overloaded = new FakeEndpoint()
 FakeEndpoint.overloaded = function () { return overloaded }
 var unhealthy = new FakeEndpoint()
@@ -106,6 +109,21 @@ describe('Pool', function () {
 			p.nodes.forEach(function (n) { n.healthy = false })
 			assert.equal(p.get_node(), unhealthy)
 		})
+
+		it('returns a "ready" node when one is available', function () {
+			var p = new Pool(http, ['127.0.0.1:8080', '127.0.0.1:8081', '127.0.0.1:8082'])
+			var n = p.nodes[0]
+			n.ready = function () { return true }
+			assert.equal(p.get_node(), n);
+		})
+
+		it('returns a healthy node when none are "ready"', function () {
+			var p = new Pool(http, ['127.0.0.1:8080', '127.0.0.1:8081', '127.0.0.1:8082'])
+			p.nodes[0].healthy = false
+			p.nodes[1].healthy = false
+			p.nodes[2].healthy = true
+			assert(p.get_node().healthy);
+		})
 	})
 
 	//