I will write a post on SMTs at some point. I think that it's just a question of surplus capital finding a more rewarding home than bid-bots but I need to think it all through.
There are quite a few (top) curators who are voting around the 10-12 minute mark. They use small votes but on posts that are fairly certain to reach high payout based on past history of the accounts. Voting at 10 minutes sacrifices 1/3 of the curation reward but the early voting position can more than compensate, even compared to fifteen minutes where the larger votes come in.
I prefer trying to pick good opportunities around the 14.5 minute mark, although it's getting harder as HF20 beds in.