Not surprising at all Jim!..IMO, 8ball is a better all around game, than 9ball or 10 ball..A lot more challenging decisions to make, regarding patterns, break-outs, safety options, etc!.. Sure top players will break and run fairly often in 8ball, but no more so than in 9ball, and the safety battles are usually much more interesting and demanding!
What we used to call 'Missouri 8ball' (15 and 1, in opposite side pockets) is actually a very good, easily understood game, at either the pro or amateur level..It also tends to curtail the easy run-outs!..I maintain, that if (for instance) pool is ever to become an Olympic sport, the only game that has a prayer of succeeding, will be some form of alternate break 8ball!..9 or 10ball would be a distant second!
Forget straight pool, or one pocket..Although both are very good games, there is not a chance of either one surviving the introduction phase!..1P, as popular as it has become now, is still too complex for the average spectator, and 14.1 can tend to (quite often) be a little too boring!..I would rate even snooker above them, as having a better chance of succeeding in an Olympic environment!