How to Pick Up the Big Four Split (4-6-7-10), and How to Stop Leaving It

You threw what felt like a good shot. The ball came through, the pins scattered, and you looked up to four pins staring back at you from the corners. Two on the left, two on the right, a wide empty gap in the middle. That is the Big Four, and it is one of the meanest leaves in the game.

Here is the honest truth up front. This is close to a 1-in-100 shot, even for the pros. We are not going to sell you a magic fix. But there is a real method, there is a smart way to play it on league night, and there is a way to stop leaving it so often. Let’s get into all three.

What the Big Four Split Actually Is

The Big Four is the 4-6-7-10 split. Picture the pin deck. You have the 4 and 7 stacked on the far left corner, and the 6 and 10 stacked on the far right corner. Nothing in the middle. Two little fences on opposite sides of the lane with a canyon between them.

You will hear it called a few other things. Big Ears. Double Pinochle. Golden Gate. Some old-timers call it Grandma’s Teeth. Same leave, same headache.

The reason it looks beatable is the pin count. Four pins feels like more to work with than two. That instinct is exactly what fools people, and the numbers prove it.

Why Four Pins Is Harder Than Two

Most bowlers assume the 7-10 is the hardest split in bowling. It is the famous one. The bedposts. But according to data USBC pulled together from more than 477,000 PBA frames, first crunched by Slate contributor Ben Blatt, the Big Four is actually harder to convert than the 7-10.

The 7-10 gets converted about 0.7 percent of the time on tour. The Big Four sits right around 1 percent. Both are brutal, but here is the point: having four pins instead of two does not help you. It hurts you.

Think about why. On a 7-10, you only need to get one corner pin to fly across the deck and take out the other. One thing has to go right. On the Big Four, you have two corners to deal with, and you still only get one ball. You cannot hit both sides with the ball itself. Physics will not let you. So you are asking one flying pin to do all the crossover work while the ball handles the rest, and you are asking it on both ends of a single shot.

That is why the Big Four defies the eye test. More wood, worse odds.

The Real Method: Send One Pin Across the Deck

You cannot roll the ball through all four pins. Accept that first. The only way this split falls is if you drive one pin all the way across the lane into the pins on the far side while the ball cleans up the near side.

That means you pick a side to hit with the ball, and you make a pin do the traveling. Speed and a flat, hard shot are the whole game here. A big hook robs you of the drive you need. This is a throw-it-hard-and-straight play.

Right-handers: attack the 6-10 side

If you are right-handed, play the right side. You want the ball to catch the 6 pin thin on its right edge. Done right, the 6 gets rocketed left across the deck toward the 4 and 7, and the ball carries on through into the 10.

So the ball takes the 10, and the 6 has to do the crossover to knock out the 4 and 7. Aim just right of the 6, throw it firm, and keep your hand behind the ball so it stays on line instead of hooking away from the drive.

Left-handers: attack the 4-7 side

Lefties, you mirror it. Play the left side. Catch the 4 pin thin on its left edge so it flies right across the deck into the 6 and 10, and let the ball drive through into the 7.

Same idea, opposite corner. The pin you clip does the long-distance work while the ball takes the near corner.

Why speed is everything

The pin you are sending across has to travel the full width of the deck and still hit hard enough to knock down two more pins. That only happens with pace. Ease up and the crossover pin dies in the gutter or slides past harmlessly.

This is the one leave where we tell you to add speed, not touch. Straight, flat, and firm. Save the finesse for the pocket.

The Smart League Play

Now the part most articles skip. On league night, should you even go for the miracle?

It depends on the frame. A split is scored as the pins you knock down, nothing more. If you clip one side clean and get two pins, that is two pins in the book. If you chase the crossover and miss everything but a single pin, you left count on the table.

So here is the honest read. In a normal frame where you just want to protect your count, hit one pair flush and bank the two pins. Two guaranteed beats one-in-a-hundred when every pin matters for your average and your team total.

But when you actually need all four to win the game or the match, you send it. Full speed, cross-deck method, no holding back. That is a go-down-swinging moment, and we will never tell you to coast through one. Just know the odds you are accepting when you do.

Picking the guaranteed count is not giving up. It is playing the percentages. Picking the miracle when the game is on the line is not reckless. It is the only shot that wins. Know which frame you are in.

How to Stop Leaving the Big Four in the First Place

The best way to beat the Big Four is to quit leaving it. And there is a pattern to who leaves it.

The Big Four shows up most for bowlers who play straighter and get to the pocket with a flatter, weaker hit. When the ball comes in light and deflects instead of driving through, it can push pins wide to both corners instead of carrying them through the deck. Low rev rates and speed-dominant releases see this leave more than heavy hookers do.

A few things to check if the Big Four keeps visiting you:

1. Are you hitting the pocket flush, or coming in light? A light pocket hit is the classic Big Four maker. Move your feet or your target to get the ball into the pocket with more drive.
2. Is your ball deflecting? If your equipment is too weak for the pattern, or your surface is wrong, the ball loses energy at the pins and pushes them to the corners. Sometimes the fix is a stronger ball or a fresh surface, not a swing change.
3. What is your entry angle? Coming in too straight from the outside can flatten your hit. A little more angle into the pocket helps the ball drive through the middle instead of splitting the deck.
4. Are you rev dominant or speed dominant? Speed-dominant players who overpower the lane tend to leave more corner splits. Matching your speed to your rev rate helps the ball read the lane and hit with more carry.

Fixing your carry does more for your scores than mastering a 1 percent split ever will. If you want to go deeper on the easier leaves, start with our guide on how to pick up baby splits, which convert far more often and cost you real pins every week.

One more practical note. If you struggle to throw a hard, straight shot at the corners with your strike ball, a plastic spare ball makes this kind of flat, direct shot much easier to repeat. You can find a straight-rolling option in our pro shop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Big Four split in bowling?
The Big Four is the 4-6-7-10 split. You are left with the 4 and 7 pins on the far left corner and the 6 and 10 pins on the far right corner, with nothing standing in the middle. It is also called Big Ears, Double Pinochle, Golden Gate, and Grandma’s Teeth.

Can you actually pick up the 4-6-7-10 split?
Yes, but rarely. The ball cannot hit all four pins, so you have to drive one corner pin across the deck to take out the pins on the far side while the ball cleans up the near corner. It happens, but it is one of the lowest-percentage shots in the game.

What are the odds of making the Big Four?
On the PBA tour, the Big Four is converted about 1 percent of the time, based on USBC data drawn from more than 477,000 frames. For comparison, the 7-10 split is made about 0.7 percent of the time.

Why is the Big Four harder than the 7-10 if it has more pins?
Because you still only get one ball, and now two corners need to fall instead of one. The extra pins do not give you more room, they give you a second impossible corner to solve on the same shot.

Should right-handers and left-handers play it differently?
Yes. A right-hander attacks the 6-10 side, clipping the 6 thin so it flies left into the 4 and 7 while the ball takes the 10. A left-hander mirrors it, attacking the 4-7 side so the 4 crosses right into the 6 and 10 while the ball takes the 7.

What causes the Big Four split?
It usually comes from a light or flat pocket hit where the ball deflects instead of driving through. It shows up most for straighter, speed-dominant, and lower-rev bowlers whose ball loses energy at the pins and pushes them to both corners.

10th Frame Final Thoughts

The Big Four is not a shot you master. It is a shot you understand. Know that it is a 1 percent play, know the cross-deck method for your hand, and know when the frame is worth the gamble.

The bigger win is upstream. Clean up your carry, match your speed to your revs, and get the ball driving through the pocket, and this leave will show up far less often. When it does show up and the game is on the line, you already know the answer. Send it, full speed, and go down swinging.