Short-term deprivation effects on smoking-induced heart rate response and smoking behavior were compared in consistently high and low CO absorbing smokers, suggested to depend differentially on smoking and/or nicotine. The subjects came to the laboratory for two afternoon sessions and smoked at 1 p.m. and at 5 p.m. both after previous free smoking and following afternoon or overnight-morning deprivation. Overnight-morning deprivation decreased presmoking heart rate in both groups similarly, but it increased heart rate response to smoking more in the high than low CO absorbers. Single cigarette tidal CO boosts concomitantly decreased in the high CO absorbers and remained at the habitually low level among the low CO absorbers. Afternoon deprivation had no effects on presmoking heart rate, presmoking tidal CO concentration and tidal CO boost, but increased the heart rate response to smoking in the high CO absorbers. Smoking need and satisfaction as well as puff volume and duration tended to increase after both deprivations slightly more among the high than low CO absorbers. These results are discussed in terms of a differential development of acute tolerance to nicotine in the two groups of smokers which dissipates during smoking abstinence periods.