Typically, the showdown with the Poles is the final struggle for the Revolution. In the Twilight and Darkness decks, there are very few Polish advances: 4 in Twilight and 4 in Darkness. With only a 3-strength, you should be able to keep the Poles contained with reasonable effort. Effectively, these are border skirmishes. However, when the Dawn cards come into play, things heat up and open warfare is upon us. The Polish Army gets 9 advances, including a massive double-move for one of their Offensives (the only double-move in the game). The events also grant you a lot of DRM's for the Poles: 3 +1 DRM's and 4 -1 DRM's. So there will be times when you they will press you hard. Thus, you must strike when events favor you. If you have a suitable Reorg chit like Red Army Tanks or Armored Trains, the Poles are a productive place to deploy them.
Polish Uprising
The wildcard in all this is when the Poles enter the game. The "Polish Uprising” event is in the Darkness events. Thus, Germany capitulating early expands the Event Deck and creates the possibility of a delayed Polish entry. Ideally, the Poles will enter late. Remember, the best way to fight an enemy Front is to have them off-map and waste their advances. Indeed, if you have Cheka, consider expending it to return the Polish Uprising to the Event Deck.
Kiev
There are two complicating factors to dealing with the Poles -- Kiev and the Curzon Line. Kiev is a politically vital center like Petrograd. Once the Poles enter, you must be mindful of the danger they pose to the city. If the Poles take Kiev, you lose a Political Point. If the Western Allies are still in the game, you're likely striving to keep the Political Level at Allies Indecisive to freeze their advances. So the Poles need to be kept at Warsaw or Lvov until the Western Allies are removed. Losing control of the political situation can lead to a cascade effect of too many enemies.
The Curzon Line
The Curzon Line creates a different problem. Effectively, the Western powers recognize Polish independence. Thus, we can no longer launch Offensives into Lvov with impunity. Now each Offensive across the Curzon Line sees the loss of a Political Point. So any Offensives with the Curzon Line better be worth it. Indeed, the removal event for the Poles, "Konarmia Formed!", comes with a political cost if you must cross the Polish frontier. With it's -1 DRM and only 2 actions, you'll need some luck to remove the Poles from the game. Again, if you have Cheka, consider sabotaging this event and shuffling it back into the Event Deck.
Your primary objective with the Poles is to manage them so they don't negatively impact your Political Level while you are battling the Western Allies. You need to keep them away from Kiev and later be mindful of the Curzon Line. Once the Western Allies are removed, you have more flexibility. Ideally, you can remove the Poles before the Curzon Line is established. But, once Poland's independence is recognized, removing the Poles is tough and the Political costs can be high.
Lastly, you must always be mindful of the Polish double-move event. If the Poles are in Zhitomir, unless you have Communist Subversion or Cheka or Imperial Gold, you are in mortal peril. Be ever mindful of this event until it is revealed. it can be a game-changer leading to defeat.
