I can agree that 8b is better than no pool. I love pool, but I find the rotation game more challenging and exciting.
8b fails to punish mediocre play, and alone, will not develop a strong stroke.
I hear the "checkers/chess" analogy with 9b/8b all the time, but I think a better analogy would be -
9b is like player golf on a tough 9 hole course, and 8b is 18 holes of putt-putt.
A "C" player will get out at a higher rate in 8b, than in 9b or 10b.
A player will advance to a certain level with 8b alone, but will struggle to push their game to a higher level.
For this reason it is "the" novice game.
But I love it for this, it brings people into billiards.
I believe some of my dislike towards playing 8b stems from the leagues being the major outlet for pool in most areas.
I therefore, if I wish to participate in the local pool scene, must play 8b on horrid tables, with players who can't, or are too lazy, to give me a decent rack, and who although playing in their league for the past 15 years, are still ignorant of basic billiard rules (I've given up trying to explain double hit fouls).
But as the saying goes "a bad day at pool, beats a good day at work."
