there are not supposed to be holes in the gasket in that location, the idea is that the water pump pushes coolant through the block from front to rear, it then flows up into the cylinder head where is flows back to front into the front of the intake then out through the thermostat.
As someone mentioned there is a front and rear for the gasket, if installed incorrectly or if you drill holes in the gasket you will have SEVERE cooling issues
Gord