Abstract: The anthracite in Laochang mining area of Yunnan Province has high gas content, high attenuation, low permeability coefficient and difficulty in gas extraction, it is difficult to solve the overlimit problem of gas in upper corner and gas return flow by conventional bedding drilling and ordinary top plate drilling. However, adopting the roof high pumping way faces the problems of large engineering quantity, high economic cost, long construction period and so on.By using the method of directed large diameter long drilling machine construction high directional long drilling to replace the top plate high drainage roadway, the height of the crack band of the top plate of the coal seam is analyzed by using FLAC^3D numerical differential software.The results show that the 18 m to 35 m vertical zone of No.8 coal seam in Laochang mining area is the best extraction horizon, the average gas extraction concentration can reach about 16% after the extraction of the top plate crack of the No.8 coal seam using high-directional long drilling, and the average purity of gas extraction is 9.05 m³/min, the gas concentration in the corner of the working face is controlled below 0.60%, and the gas concentration in the return flow is controlled below 0.40%, which is comparable to the effect of high drainage roadway gas extraction, and verifies the rationality and feasibility of high level long directional drilling to replace drainage gateway, it can provide reference for gas extraction of anthracite in Laochang mining area of Yunnan Province.