Note that Shannon did use the word "alone", implying that commissions is not the only reason why this strategy is not as great as it seems at first. I'm guessin

Note that Shannon did use the word "alone", implying that commissions is not the only reason why this strategy is not as great as it seems at first. I'm guessing he (being one of the most prominent mathematicians of the 20th century) picked this example exactly because it was a counter-intuitive and complex problem that seems simple on the surface.