howardporter, questions are the best way to learn..
Yes the one one the right is a poly smoothed one.
I do all my pulling and shaping using sub-ds.
I add detail in poly mode with split poly.
For my final models i usally keep them Polys because sub-d are a bit more or a memory hog them polys...
I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination, knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world. (Albert Einstein)
https://www.artstation.com/kurtb