diff --git a/src.ts/providers/abstract-provider.ts b/src.ts/providers/abstract-provider.ts
index 071228476..1478badf7 100644
--- a/src.ts/providers/abstract-provider.ts
+++ b/src.ts/providers/abstract-provider.ts
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ export class AbstractProvider implements Provider {
         this.#plugins = new Map();
         this.#pausedState = null;
 
-        this.#nextTimer = 0;
+        this.#nextTimer = 1;
         this.#timers = new Map();
 
         this.#disableCcipRead = false;
@@ -1161,7 +1161,9 @@ export class AbstractProvider implements Provider {
 
     async emit(event: ProviderEvent, ...args: Array<any>): Promise<boolean> {
         const sub = await this.#hasSub(event, args);
-        if (!sub) { return false; };
+        // If there is not subscription or if a recent emit removed
+        // the last of them (which also deleted the sub) do nothing
+        if (!sub || sub.listeners.length === 0) { return false; };
 
         const count = sub.listeners.length;
         sub.listeners = sub.listeners.filter(({ listener, once }) => {
diff --git a/src.ts/providers/subscriber-polling.ts b/src.ts/providers/subscriber-polling.ts
index 4f6fa362b..c50a79121 100644
--- a/src.ts/providers/subscriber-polling.ts
+++ b/src.ts/providers/subscriber-polling.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export function getPollingSubscriber(provider: AbstractProvider, event: Provider
  *
  *  @_docloc: api/providers/abstract-provider
  */
-export class PollingBlockSubscriber implements Subscriber{
+export class PollingBlockSubscriber implements Subscriber {
     #provider: AbstractProvider;
     #poller: null | number;
 
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ export class PollingBlockSubscriber implements Subscriber{
             return;
         }
 
+        // We have been stopped
+        if (this.#poller == null) { return; }
+
         // @TODO: Put a cap on the maximum number of events per loop?
 
         if (blockNumber !== this.#blockNumber) {
@@ -71,8 +74,8 @@ export class PollingBlockSubscriber implements Subscriber{
 
     start(): void {
         if (this.#poller) { throw new Error("subscriber already running"); }
-        this.#poll();
         this.#poller = this.#provider._setTimeout(this.#poll.bind(this), this.#interval);
+        this.#poll();
     }
 
     stop(): void {