I think the answer depends on the ball and the bowler. I throw on the harder side of things and I used to throw a dull ball on dry lanes....it was a urethane Sumo. I kept it on the duller side to get some traction in the heads to try and increase carry. If I was throwing a plastic ball on dryer lanes, I would probably want it on the duller side. But if wanted to throw something stronger, I would probably want it polished to help increase the skid of it and allow the stronger cover to pick up later. I don't think there is one right or wrong answer here, it will depend on the bowler (how they throw the ball), and the ball choice (the type of cover, strength of core).