diff --git a/conn_pool.go b/conn_pool.go
index 0e04268e..cd8b7f63 100644
--- a/conn_pool.go
+++ b/conn_pool.go
@@ -228,13 +228,19 @@ func (p *ConnPool) BeginIso(iso string) (*Tx, error) {
 		}
 
 		tx, err := c.BeginIso(iso)
-		if err == ErrDeadConn {
-			p.Release(c)
-			continue
-		}
 		if err != nil {
+			alive := c.IsAlive()
 			p.Release(c)
-			return nil, err
+
+			// If connection is still alive then the error is not something trying
+			// again on a new connection would fix, so just return the error. But
+			// if the connection is dead try to acquire a new connection and try
+			// again.
+			if alive {
+				return nil, err
+			} else {
+				continue
+			}
 		}
 
 		tx.pool = p
diff --git a/conn_pool_test.go b/conn_pool_test.go
index 74c03a2b..73519855 100644
--- a/conn_pool_test.go
+++ b/conn_pool_test.go
@@ -363,41 +363,46 @@ func TestConnPoolTransactionIso(t *testing.T) {
 func TestConnPoolBeginRetry(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	pool := createConnPool(t, 2)
-	defer pool.Close()
+	// Run timing sensitive test many times
+	for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+		func() {
+			pool := createConnPool(t, 2)
+			defer pool.Close()
 
-	killerConn, err := pool.Acquire()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	defer pool.Release(killerConn)
+			killerConn, err := pool.Acquire()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			defer pool.Release(killerConn)
 
-	victimConn, err := pool.Acquire()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	pool.Release(victimConn)
+			victimConn, err := pool.Acquire()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			pool.Release(victimConn)
 
-	// Terminate connection that was released to pool
-	if _, err = killerConn.Exec("select pg_terminate_backend($1)", victimConn.Pid); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Unable to kill backend PostgreSQL process: %v", err)
-	}
+			// Terminate connection that was released to pool
+			if _, err = killerConn.Exec("select pg_terminate_backend($1)", victimConn.Pid); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Unable to kill backend PostgreSQL process: %v", err)
+			}
 
-	// Since victimConn is the only available connection in the pool, pool.Begin should
-	// try to use it, fail, and allocate another connection
-	tx, err := pool.Begin()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("pool.Begin failed: %v", err)
-	}
-	defer tx.Rollback()
+			// Since victimConn is the only available connection in the pool, pool.Begin should
+			// try to use it, fail, and allocate another connection
+			tx, err := pool.Begin()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("pool.Begin failed: %v", err)
+			}
+			defer tx.Rollback()
 
-	var txPid int32
-	err = tx.QueryRow("select pg_backend_pid()").Scan(&txPid)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("tx.QueryRow Scan failed: %v", err)
-	}
-	if txPid == victimConn.Pid {
-		t.Error("Expected txPid to defer from killed conn pid, but it didn't")
+			var txPid int32
+			err = tx.QueryRow("select pg_backend_pid()").Scan(&txPid)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("tx.QueryRow Scan failed: %v", err)
+			}
+			if txPid == victimConn.Pid {
+				t.Error("Expected txPid to defer from killed conn pid, but it didn't")
+			}
+		}()
 	}
 }